Are you a good driver?

Iceweasel

real1314 wrote: »

Claiming that sticking to the speed limit makes you a good driver is illogical.
Cars and roads can all be driven without accident at greater speed than the limit, depending on conditions. In good conditions you could easily double the limit.

It's a bit like claiming to be a marksman because you can hit an elephant with a rifle from 20 yards. Or like claiming to be a good tennis player, but you're playing in a league many levels below your capability, but you've never lost a game.

The key question really is how you define a "good driver". If you can't safely drive a car at 80mph in good conditions on a motorway, I'd say you're not, but you might be a safe and indeed a wise driver, as you stay within your capabilities.

I'm a little unsure exactly what you're getting at here.

Unless I've missed it I haven't seen anyone saying outright that they're a good driver simply and solely because they don't break legally imposed speed limits.

I feel perfectly 'capable' on the frequent occasions that I run at over 130mph on German Autobahns, and would happily do similar speeds in the UK - if road and weather conditions, and the law permitted it.

I often find myself in the wee small hours of the morning heading north from Carlisle on the M74 on a deserted motorway when I would fancy driving MUCH faster than 70mph.

The chief reason I don't is that I value my driving licence more than the 'thrill' of driving fast.

I feel that that goes some way to making me a 'good' driver.

oldhand

Wife was out in her car the other day and I rang her.Told her to watch out on the motorway as the radio just said some lunatic was driving down it the wrong way.
She said,"someone? they all are".......
Yes its an old one but so am I...:D

atrixblue.-MFR-.

my driving instructor always told me "theres no such thing as a good driver, you can only drive to your ability, your ability varies constantly whilst your driving in many different scenarios, so if you call your self a good driver your an over confident big head".

I agree with that statement. I'm just a driver, driving to my abilities.

w211

In my opinion, I dont' think anyone can call themselves a good driver if they haven't done any further formal training, other than taking their standard driving test - which is just a basic test to ensure that you're competent on the road.

Also, a desire to learn and accept that driving is an on-going learning process, as Iceweasel mentioned.

Anyway a good driver, in my opinion is one who has achieved a gold in the RoSPA advanced driving test (where the examiner will be a serving police officer, rather than a civil servant in the DSA test), or going further, those who are HPC Gold

I've done the IAM test in a car and motorbike, was a car observer for them, achieved Gold in the RoSPA motorbike test, done a KTM off-road day, skid-pan at Goodwood, done a Bikesafe course, a security chauffeur course.

I think I'm not a good driver though, and still make silly mistakes day-to-day, but at least I'm aware of (most) of them, and aim to rectify those mistakes.

TrickyWicky

I voted good.

Ok I'm not a brilliant driver but I'm also not a careless or wreckless one. I obey speed limits, I don't do stupid things on purpose, I always check my blindspots, always look out for cyclists and other road users etc. To me THAT is a good driver.

Many folks think that being able to keep the car from tipping over while haring round a sharp bend at 70 or doing handbrake turns and doing a perfect 180 is a good driver. Sure they've got lucky but luck runs out and being a constant chancer isn't a quality of a good driver.

Sure there are courses you can go on but not everyone can realistically do these. Even then, while driving on a skid pan may teach you a few tricks, it still doesn't guarantee that you won't be hit by someone else and killed.

So from my POV being considerate to other road users is what makes a good driver.

real1314

Iceweasel wrote: »

I'm a little unsure exactly what you're getting at here.

Unless I've missed it I haven't seen anyone saying outright that they're a good driver simply and solely because they don't break legally imposed speed limits.

I feel perfectly 'capable' on the frequent occasions that I run at over 130mph on German Autobahns, and would happily do similar speeds in the UK - if road and weather conditions, and the law permitted it.

I often find myself in the wee small hours of the morning heading north from Carlisle on the M74 on a deserted motorway when I would fancy driving MUCH faster than 70mph.

The chief reason I don't is that I value my driving licence more than the 'thrill' of driving fast.

I feel that that goes some way to making me a 'good' driver.

Post #2 - I stick to the rules and don't speed.

Nothing else provided as evidence that they are a "good" driver.

The "rules" are nothing to do with whether a good driver could safely use a road at that particular speed, they are more to do with the safety of others and balancing the need for travel against the potential impact if an "event" occurs; i.e. the likelihood of an accident and the degree of injury that would occur.

I'd define "good" as being able to use the vehicle effectively, whilst accepting and managing the level of risk.

Shoshannah

I said I don't know.

I've been driving for ten years. My licence has always been clean, I've never been caught speeding, the only claim on my insurance in that time is a vehicle theft.

I stick to speed limits these days. I didn't always stick to the motorway and national speed limits in the past, but I sort of wanted to slow down after a while. Nothing happened, I just thought it was stupid going at 100mph.

When I have passengers in the car, they frequently complain that I am driving too slowly and need to hurry up. When they make these complaints, I am travelling at 30mph in a 30 zone.

I maintain my vehicle well. Especially tyres, I am very anal about those. My heart sinks when friends tell me their car has failed its MOT on tyres. How can they take their kids out in a car with bald tyres, really? With a 'caution, child on board' sign in the back window?

I guess most of the time I'm an alright driver. I try to be courteous, and I don't get road rage, I leave people to it.

But I mess up sometimes. Last week I misjudged the turning into a side road and crossed into the other lane slightly. Nobody was coming, but they could have been.

I always want to improve.

Shoshannah

Usually I can handle my car in a skid. I have played in the snow (legally) many times to get used to the car.

But earlier this year I !!!!ed up my negotiation of a small downhill slope in the snow, hit the kerb and bent the TCA. So I am constantly reminded I'm not as clever as I think I am! XD

PasturesNew

Been driving 33 years, never had an accident. I make sure the car's safe/legal and I keep to the speed limits, never over-accelerate or brake harshly.

I observe all road markings and the highway code, I am aware of all other drivers, I am looking ahead for potential issues, I count my "only a fool breaks the two second rule" and then add "and then a bit". I don't tail-gate, I give way to other cars who have misjudged things or want to pull out into a queue etc.

I can drive in all weathers, had loads of snow experience in the past and lots of minor flooding.

But - I do hate driving in poor weather/visibility as it does put the wind up me!

Iceweasel

real1314 wrote: »

Post #2 - I stick to the rules and don't speed.

Nothing else provided as evidence that they are a "good" driver.

The "rules" are nothing to do with whether a good driver could safely use a road at that particular speed, they are more to do with the safety of others and balancing the need for travel against the potential impact if an "event" occurs; i.e. the likelihood of an accident and the degree of injury that would occur.

I'd define "good" as being able to use the vehicle effectively, whilst accepting and managing the level of risk.

OK - I see what you mean - although I didn't interpret it exactly as you do.

But ..... if someone was accepting and managing the level of risk on a deserted motorway and then chose to exceed the speed limit - would that still be sign of a good driver?

Where do we draw the line at 'obeying the rules' even if they are a blanket rule that is not really needed in every situation. Surely we can't have a lawless society where we decide what is safe and act on our own judgement in isolation.

Could someone go round a roundabout the 'wrong' way if they could see 1/2 a mile in each direction and see it was clear?

How about a Traffic Light Controlled Pedestrian Crossing if there are no pedestrians in sight?

I mean a Pelican, Puffin or Toucan crossing - or perhaps even a Pegasus Crossing. Not a Zebra one.

I would wager half the drivers you were to ask wouldn't know the difference between them - or perhaps have never even heard of them.

Or as one person in the pub said "You're making those up."