How good are you as a driver?

[Ciro Pabón]

I'm trying to check the theory of a friend. He argues that everybody thinks he is an "above average driver"...

Thanks in advance for any responses. Please, try to be truthful.

It's not what your girlfriend/wife/friends say, it's not how many times you've crashed: it's what you think about yourself.

If you want to know my opinion, I believe that 90% of the people think they're above average, while I can attest, after a long vacation road trip, that in fact, approximately 95% of the people is under average...

[tomislavp4]

Why did you reveal the purpose of the poll at the very beggining? In my oppinion it will change the way people vote

[xpensive]

Good morning Ciro,
Hmm...difficult one that, to begin with, in an open wheeled or full-bodied car?

But seriously, I concur. Try the winter-roads of Sweden during ski-season, when city-drivers hit the highhway, scary one that.

Myself slightly under average, when I can't help seeing conspiracies all around me when driving.

[alexbarwell]

Honestly, given the vast number of dopey jerks out there, I think anyone who is switched-on when driving could be classed above average. Mods for my mini include competition brakes and air horns, not as an act of aggression, but as a real requirement to combat the 'sorry mate I didn't see you' situations INCLUDING bikers, mercedes drivers and particularly mopeds even though these can in no way be equated with bikes.
I prefer quick and decisive over dreamy with eyes closed. The licence is still unmarked despite efforts, scared a couple of track-day passengers without knowing it at the time and yes, kept it on the black stuff facing the right way (right way up, right way round). Care to conjure up a list of aspects - I feel a survey coming on.

Or we could recount some scenarios we have encountered courtesy of others

[pipex]

I'm a bad driver
I think that the reason for it is that i don't have a car to practice . I got my driving license and i don't feel safe driving. I hope that when i get to own a car i'll be better.

[Roland Ehnström]

I drive around 80000 km a year as a taxi driver, and I am a semi-professional virtual racing driver, so I have to say I am probably a bit above average.

[nae]

giving away the purpose spoils is imho

i believe i has answered truthful all the same

i choose above avg becuase i have driven all manor of
vehicles over the years giving me a wider view of driving
on the road

however the courts perhaps took a different view

ill rephrase that

I can be an above average driven

often i am not

[Roland Ehnström]

One big reason that most people think they are better drivers than others is that there are differing opinions on what actually constitutes being a good driver. Those who always drive well below the posted speed-limit think they are better drivers than everyone else, because they firmly believe that a good driver always drives slowly. Others just think they are road-blocks, and interpret their slow driving as insecurity.

A common feeling is that "everyone who drives 5 kph slower than me is a dangerous road-block, while everyone who drives 5 kph faster than me is just plain wreckless".

[Saribro]

Few comments on this "experiment":
1)Traffic driving or circuit driving?
2)I believe the use of this forum as your population will skew the results :). People who have a better understanding of how cars work, often have more confidence about driving and the limits of their cars, and as such, end up better drivers.
3)I believe your premise is definitly true for women. They are so unfocused when driving that they simply can't see how --- insane they are.

[ernos5]

i'm not sure, i'd like to think i'm better than average, i just about hold the lap record at my local kart club and i don't have much experience there compared to guys who have raced karts for years...

[Belatti]

I will separate my answer in two:

1. Technical: way above the average, I know my car (its limits) I drive 100% focused in driving maybe 95% of the time, I check and mainting my car in good condition (tyres, suspension, brakes, direction, lights, etc.)
I have very good sight and reflexes.
I know it's not how many times I've crashed, but that fact makes me think that I´m good because I have been in very difficult situations and have always reacted in an ice cold and safe way. A good excercise is to imagine yourself driving when a difficult situation happens and then analysing how to react to that. How many drivers actualy do that?

2. Legal: way below the average. I do not respect the speed limit (130kph in freeways) and sometimes drive arround 50kph above that. My friends tell me: "what would you do if that car we have passed would have moved to one side?" and I tell them: "I pass so fast that the time between the begining of their moves and my car actually passing by is so short I can hardly hit them". That probes they dont even see me coming in their mirrors. I do freeway zig-zag with a 1.6L 900kg VW and make guys with Porsches look ridiculous, when they try to get me but freeway 90kph dense traffic "limit" their speed to merely 130kph. Of course the risk of scratching their Porsches may scare them a bit...
I do not respect red lights in non-peak (low tracffic) hours, just slow down and past through (I know there are no patrols controlling and also there is a high chance to be robbed at night). Sometimes Í do agresive manouvers.

My advice is do what I wrote in #1 and do not do what I wrote in #2. A friend says that a lover without a sex-companion just masturbates and thats analog to me without a racing car. Thats the reason why I got a Kart: is the only companion I can pay and I hope my street masturbation will cease

[Jon]

Above average...

I think that what Roland said is very true. My wife always says that I drive terribly. But that's only because I drive faster than she does, and I'm able to actually steer around potholes and predict how traffic is going to behave.

I guess she'd rather ruin hey tyre/wheel than drive "badly"...

Anyway, I read a few years ago about a study that concluded that people who drive 5 kph or more above the legal limit have a 30% less accident rate than people who drive 5 kph or more under the limit. The reason they gave is that it is because people who drive faster are more aware of their surroundings because of the added danger. I disagree slightly with their reasons. I believe that most of the people who drive fast through both straights AND corners are better drivers simply because they understand their car limits better and are able to handle them. That translates to better ability to steer around trouble when it arises. On the other hand, there is people that only drives fast when on a straight piece of road and they know only one way out of trouble: braking hard. Those are the ones that are more aware of the danger, so they are perfectly described by that study.

[dumrick]

Since I'm a latin, if I didn't think I'm an above average driver, I wouldn't feel manly...

I think Belatti is my soul mate...

[Ciro Pabón]

Why did you reveal the purpose of the poll at the very beggining? In my oppinion it will change the way people vote

Tomislav, Saribro, nae: because I don't want to make a scientific poll.

Think about it: it's impossible to make a scientific poll with voluntary answers in the "Internets".

On a side note, that's a thought that invalidates all the "polls" carried by the Formula One organization! Who, in his sane judgement, would use this forum to check driving abilities of young males inclined toward racing?

Simple: I don't want to have a "neutral poll".

With my introductory explanation, I do not want to change the way people vote, I want to change the way people drives. Yes, that's you I'm talking about.

The answers, up to this moment, are small jewels in this forum that maybe can illuminate a corner of our lives, including the thoughts about "street masturbation" (yuck! ) of Belatti, Jon confession about his wife's point of view, ernos cool assesment of his qualities, alexbarwell air-horned car, xpensive experiences in frozen roads, pipex dreams, roland's full day training, dumrick reflections of manhood and driving abilities or (of course) Saribro, nae and Tomislav second guessings about my intentions (you already know me, guys!).

BTW, some of you might want to smile a little by reading Dave Barry's 2004 column about the topic of this thread, specially his idea about sticking darts to bad drivers's cars. There you have an excerpt:

Anyway, since you and I are such superior drivers, I wanted to share with you an excellent idea that was sent in to me by Florida motorist Damara Hutchins, who is also above average...

... powerful bumper-mounted sucker-dart guns. You would shoot these at other motorists when they did something stupid. Ideally, you could fire several different colors of darts, to indicate the type of infraction. This would be a big help to the police, who could use the darts as evidence:

OFFICER: Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?

MOTORIST: No, why?

OFFICER: I count 17 red sucker darts on your rear bumper, which means you've been blocking the left lane.

MOTORIST: But I'm going the speed limit!

OFFICER (sighing): Sir, we only pretend that's the speed limit. In good weather and light traffic, the real speed limit is about 10 miles per hour faster, which is the speed 80 percent of the other drivers are going. If you don't want to go that fast, you need to get over, OK? Also, I count five yellow darts, indicating you swerved between lanes while dialing your cell phone; and one brown dart you got for driving a Pontiac Aztek, a vehicle ugly enough to cause retina damage.

That's something I would like to propose for Formula One 2010 regulations: sucker darts that people could fire from the stands toward the car they dislike the most (specially with the wide wings we're going to see broken this year on curve number one at Albert Park).

I bet that could double the attendance at Formula One circuits... given the inclination of FIA toward "popular polls", this idea could elliminate the always unpopular stewards. The director of the race would count the number of darts per car and handle the proper penalties, without more ado.

[Belatti]

That's something I would like to propose for Formula One 2010 regulations: sucker darts that people could fire from the stands toward the car they dislike the most (specially with the wide wings we're going to see broken this year on curve number one at Albert Park).

Ahhhh!! Now I got it!
Thats why Honda left F1! Nobody wants its slow dreams car covered by darts!