How good do people think you are at driving?

[JCH13]

Interesting responses (not really).

A lot of people have told me that I'm the only person who has ever made them car sick. Similarly, most people say that my driving is "terrifying". One person described it as "good but terrifying."

I don't feel bad about that. That's generally my goal and I never seem to fail at that.

The biggest surprise, to me, is that I just drive a slow and weak honda civic. I don't know how you can be scared when in that, but I manage to get people to be. :awe:

None of that is anything to be okay with. If most people say your driving is terrifying you're doing something REALLY wrong and are likely to splatter yourself and your passengers all over the road eventually.

 

[nerp]

The herky jerky stuff needs to stop. Brake sooner, be more smooth. You know there is a mode between accelerate and brake called coast.

 

[ProchargeMe]

Overall I seem to get a good response to my driving but my car can scare you pretty good. I made a girl cry in my car due to unruly amounts of torque but she's my girlfriend now and wants to learn to drive it (stick)!

 

[exdeath]

I power slide through all intersections to assert my dominance over other drivers and less powerful and expensive vehicles.

Watch out for old Camrys. I hear they are angel guarded by vindictive owners in Kenne Bell Cobras :awe:

 

[Fritzo]

On the track I've been told I have a natural ability to take corners, but my shift timing sucks (I always shift too early).

On the road my wife thinks I'm a great driver, but she calls me "wrong way" because I tend to zone out and go in the wrong direction when we're going to stores, etc. I just get into habits of going certain places down certain routes, and if we're going somewhere that's along one of those routes I just keep on going

 

[Railgun]

I'll just say this. If everyone drove like me, there'd be no traffic jams, road rage, and the left (or right depending on country) lanes would be the best place on Earth.

 

[Arkaign]

I once had a reputation for being an epic driver (had a ton of tricks that were fun, but tire eating, like handbrake u-turns and rockfords), but I've gotten old and don't play nearly as much anymore, not to mention all of that stuff was hard on the cars. Now I have a reputation for being a really safe driver. Other than having TWO people hit and run on me (Texas drivers are horrendous), I haven't had a car accident since spring 1994, and that was a ~5mph parking lot judgment error of a 17 year old.

 

[Fritzo]

I once had a reputation for being an epic driver (had a ton of tricks that were fun, but tire eating, like handbrake u-turns and rockfords), but I've gotten old and don't play nearly as much anymore, not to mention all of that stuff was hard on the cars. Now I have a reputation for being a really safe driver. Other than having TWO people hit and run on me (Texas drivers are horrendous), I haven't had a car accident since spring 1994, and that was a ~5mph parking lot judgment error of a 17 year old.

LOL- I notice that too. I went from smoking every launch on a green light to saying "HE'S RUINING HIS TIRES!" anytime I see someone else do it :biggrin:

 

[JCH13]

Funny how age mellows a lot of us out, hehe.

 

[sgrinavi]

Wife thinks I drive too fast, I think she drives too slow. Whatever.

At the end of the day I've not had an accident, of any sort, in 15 years - that was a M/C accident on a back road at 15 MPH ( sharp corner + oil on the road + cool morning mist is just like ice) - The last ticket I received, 8 years ago, was for rolling through a right-on-red - (which was a total bullshit trap, and I did stop)

Whereas the wife got a 93 in a 70 3 years ago AND rear-ended someone 5 years ago.

 

[TridenT]

None of that is anything to be okay with. If most people say your driving is terrifying you're doing something REALLY wrong and are likely to splatter yourself and your passengers all over the road eventually.

Well, how about we just agree that you're wrong.

I try to disincentivize people from getting free rides with me. It never really works.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Well, how about we just agree on that wrong.

I try to disincentivize people from getting free rides with me. It never really works.

Rofl how about just saying no.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Well, how about we just agree on that wrong.

How about you speak in sentences that aren't semantically null?

ZV

 

[TridenT]

How about you speak in sentences that aren't semantically null?

ZV

Herpaderp. I think my edit didn't go through. EDITED IT.

 

[JCH13]

Well, how about we just agree that you're wrong.

I try to disincentivize people from getting free rides with me. It never really works.

I would think that your personality would be enough to dissuade people from riding with you.

The point is that if you are routinely scaring your passengers then you're not driving defensively. Eventually that is going to bite you in the ass.

I just hope you don't hurt anyone but yourself when you do wreck your car.

 

[Arkaign]

Funny how age mellows a lot of us out, hehe.

Oh yeah, I cringe at the things I used to do behind the wheel. I'm honestly lucky it all turned out. I was constantly pushing things to 11, and we all tend to think we're bulletproof when we're that young. I'd like to brag and say that it was all skill that kept me in one piece, but quite honestly it was a lot of luck as much as anything else. That and I guess going 11/10ths so often you really get used to the ragged limits of what's possible.

 

[JCH13]

Oh yeah, I cringe at the things I used to do behind the wheel. I'm honestly lucky it all turned out. I was constantly pushing things to 11, and we all tend to think we're bulletproof when we're that young. I'd like to brag and say that it was all skill that kept me in one piece, but quite honestly it was a lot of luck as much as anything else. That and I guess going 11/10ths so often you really get used to the ragged limits of what's possible.

I agree. I hit some washboard going way too fast when I was young. I kept everything pointed the right way and managed to stop before side-swiping a tree... but it was a real wake-up call.

You can bomb around at 10/10 of your abilities all day, until one little unexpected thing comes up. Wet leaves... sand or gravel... a deer... a kid... anything. Then it's bad news.

 

[Zenmervolt]

You can bomb around at 10/10 of your abilities all day, until one little unexpected thing comes up. Wet leaves... sand or gravel... a deer... a kid... anything. Then it's bad news.

...turbo spooling a bit early mid-corner in second gear on a wet road with cold tires...

Amazing how fast you can end up facing the other way on the other side of the road. Not the recommended way to pull a U-turn. :biggrin:

These days I only push that hard on a track.

ZV

 

[Arkaign]

I agree. I hit some washboard going way too fast when I was young. I kept everything pointed the right way and managed to stop before side-swiping a tree... but it was a real wake-up call.

You can bomb around at 10/10 of your abilities all day, until one little unexpected thing comes up. Wet leaves... sand or gravel... a deer... a kid... anything. Then it's bad news.

Hahah, man oh man is that true. One time I was barreling down a road at speeds that were close to the limits of my grip but that I had done a million times before, and on a sweeping bend I went through a puddle from a sprinkler system the city had somehow decided to have running at 3 in the morning, I backed off the throttle, didn't touch the brakes, but totally felt the car slide to the outside of the road and I didn't get grip back under me until just inches from the curb, which would have spun me wildly off the road into trees/etc.

Cliffs : I drove like a crazed maniac, and I'm really grateful I never hurt myself or anyone else. "Skill" is no excuse for driving like that on public roads.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Very bad (from what I've seen) and one of many reasons I would never ride a bike.

America clearly doesn't teach well enough and doesn't test well enough. My proof is the # of deaths on our highways (we do 9/11 every month).

But of course no one is changing any laws to address this problem, there is NO money to be made hehe

 

[Arkaign]

Very bad (from what I've seen) and one of many reasons I would never ride a bike.

America clearly doesn't teach well enough and doesn't test well enough. My proof is the # of deaths on our highways (we do 9/11 every month).

But of course no one is changing any laws to address this problem, there is NO money to be made hehe

True. I do think, however, that most road deaths are due to :

Drunk driving
Inattentive drivers (texting/on phone/car full of kids)

Compared to :

Speeders/people hot rodding around.

I'm not saying whatsoever that driving like a maniac is a wise and safe choice, but I think the worst problems in terms of danger on our roadways is by the person driving and/or distracted and not paying attention. I can't tell you how many close calls in addition to the two hit and runs that I've been through where someone just blew through a red light or attempted to merge into me while on the phone or not looking.

 

[Vdubchaos]

True. I do think, however, that most road deaths are due to :

Drunk driving
Inattentive drivers (texting/on phone/car full of kids)

Compared to :

Speeders/people hot rodding around.

I'm not saying whatsoever that driving like a maniac is a wise and safe choice, but I think the worst problems in terms of danger on our roadways is by the person driving and/or distracted and not paying attention. I can't tell you how many close calls in addition to the two hit and runs that I've been through where someone just blew through a red light or attempted to merge into me while on the phone or not looking.

Doesn't really matter how, but I agree with you. # of people I see on their smartphones lately is just unreal.....and scary.

People are clearly addicted to these devices/married to them. I don't get it but....

 

[Midwayman]

Can we agree that risk-adverse and 'safe' isn't synonymous with 'good'? That's my biggest pet peeve with people talking about how 'good' they are at driving. That somehow lack of accidents is proof of skill.

As for what others think?
My wife thinks I'm too aggressive, and have road rage. At least she'll acknowlege that I know what I'm doing with a car.

My folks last time the commented that I was smooth and less aggressive, but I drive faster than ever.

My uncle offered me a job driving his tornado chasing van after seeing me whip a passenger van around Chicago.

I can only guess the average person just thinks I go too fast. By way to most of them being too slow for me.

 

[vi edit]

My wife hates when I drive. But that's because I'm a sane, rational, proactive and cautious driver behind the wheel. I rarely speed, am attentive to almost everything going on around me, and almost always error on the side of caution rather than chance.

My wife on the other hand speeds, talks on the phone nearly every minute at wheel, rarely looks much past the hood of the car, won't get into the left hand lane to pass another vehicle until there's about 2" of space between the two vehicles bumpers and in 20 years of driving has yet to grasp the concept of "coasting".

I have a $1,000,000 insurance policy on her.

 

[JCH13]

@ Midwayman,

You can get semantic about it, but if everyone drove around as fast as they could, or as fast as they felt comfortable, there would be a LOT of really bad accidents.