Discussion
Does anybody actually think of themselves as a good driver? We are constantly told that everyone thinks they are expert drivers but I've certainly never met anyone who claims to be. I've known a few who seem very good to me, but they were so focused on constant improvement it certainly never occured to them to claim to were already good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruge...
You might find (but not in all cases) that those who consider themselves good drivers, are not. Conversely, the best drivers are likely to be the ones who recognise their own shortcomings. And of course we have the statistic that most drivers think they are above average, when clearly this isn't possible - http://www.ambulancedriving.com/research/WP65-rate...
You might find (but not in all cases) that those who consider themselves good drivers, are not. Conversely, the best drivers are likely to be the ones who recognise their own shortcomings. And of course we have the statistic that most drivers think they are above average, when clearly this isn't possible - http://www.ambulancedriving.com/research/WP65-rate...
RenesisEvo said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruge...
You might find (but not in all cases) that those who consider themselves good drivers, are not. Conversely, the best drivers are likely to be the ones who recognise their own shortcomings. And of course we have the statistic that most drivers think they are above average, when clearly this isn't possible - http://www.ambulancedriving.com/research/WP65-rate...
I'm a completely terrible driver.You might find (but not in all cases) that those who consider themselves good drivers, are not. Conversely, the best drivers are likely to be the ones who recognise their own shortcomings. And of course we have the statistic that most drivers think they are above average, when clearly this isn't possible - http://www.ambulancedriving.com/research/WP65-rate...
Again without wanting to sound like a kn*b, I'd like to think of myself as pretty good. In recent years done the IAM and RoSPA in an attempt to keep me as good as can be expected. Also spent a fair bit of time being observed by the top police examiner in our area.
I do recognise my own mistakes though, I do, ahem, 'make excessive progress' when I consider it safe to do so, so I'm by no means perfect.
Good means different things though, I'd without doubt be punished by many people on track for example :-(
I do recognise my own mistakes though, I do, ahem, 'make excessive progress' when I consider it safe to do so, so I'm by no means perfect.
Good means different things though, I'd without doubt be punished by many people on track for example :-(
Have driving instructor friends who have ridden with me... They say I'm not bad, I have the usual bad habits for an experienced driver, and like many assume too much on the actions and reactions of others on the road... Was complemented on my reaction and anticipation.
But driving generally just for the sake of getting from A to B bores me... That's when I find myself doing something to break the monotony and wake myself up, and that's when I become a bad driver. Impatient and agressive.
But driving generally just for the sake of getting from A to B bores me... That's when I find myself doing something to break the monotony and wake myself up, and that's when I become a bad driver. Impatient and agressive.
T0nup said:
Have driving instructor friends who have ridden with me...
Depends who you want to assess your driving and by which standard - DSA or advancedCredit where credit is due - having your driving assessed in the first place is a big plus
Most drivers rely on their own assessment of their own driving which then leads to the driver THINKING they know how good or bad they are but not actually KNOWING ...........
CAVEAT - a driving assessment will only show how good the driver is when on their best behaviour but at least it will show what they are capable of
Edited by R0G on Tuesday 25th October 13:05
I am generally quite an inquisitive, observant person who enjoys learning. People's behaviour intrigues me.
I have an interest in vehicles and enjoy attempting to drive and ride well.
I enjoy mountain biking -technical and steep (up and down)- in preference to bimbling along smooth track and trail centres.
I was a bit too 'exuberant' in the past and have the scars and repair bills to prove it, but I've learned that aiming to be smooth and trying to keep the vehicle in balance is a better way to drive.
I have done additional riding and driving training since passing my basic tests.
I'm not sure if my experiences make me a good driver, but I would really hope that I'm 'better' than the typical person who drives to get from A-to-B with no mechanical sympathy or anticipation whatsoever....
I have an interest in vehicles and enjoy attempting to drive and ride well.
I enjoy mountain biking -technical and steep (up and down)- in preference to bimbling along smooth track and trail centres.
I was a bit too 'exuberant' in the past and have the scars and repair bills to prove it, but I've learned that aiming to be smooth and trying to keep the vehicle in balance is a better way to drive.
I have done additional riding and driving training since passing my basic tests.
I'm not sure if my experiences make me a good driver, but I would really hope that I'm 'better' than the typical person who drives to get from A-to-B with no mechanical sympathy or anticipation whatsoever....
MC Bodge said:
I'm not sure if my experiences make me a good driver, but I would really hope that I'm 'better' than the typical person who drives to get from A-to-B with no mechanical sympathy or anticipation whatsoever....
you could always have a FREE assessment with your local advanced driving groupI'm a reasonable driver.
I like to know what's going on around me - so I don't drive along in blissful ignorance in the middle lane, if I need to take some sort of avoiding action I like to know where I can go and who else is around me.
I'm not the best driver in the world, so I try to make up for it in other ways - observation and positioning being a couple. My car doesn't have ABS - I'm sure there are plenty of more capable drivers who could stop in less time than me, so I've tried lessons and training to help with this, and I also leave more space than usual to the vehicles in front.
I'm fairly confident (again after having lessons) that I could catch any slide should the worst happen, but this isn't something I want to happen on the road anyway. I'm aware of how my car will react to different circumstances, I know where the car's limits are (way beyond mine!) and TBH I don't approach them on the road.
I think people get slightly confused - lots of drivers are phenomenally talented when it comes to car control - time and time again I've seen it advocated that people like young Mr Hamilton (prior to this season at least!!) should be able to speed, because of his capabilities behind the wheel, but this is something I couldn't disagree more with.
As it stands, just because you have good car control doesn't mean you're a good driver - you could have a woeful attention span, be dangerously complacent, inattentive when it comes to other traffic - plenty of things that could cause accidents.
I think I'm somewhere in the middle TBH. Lots of things that could be improved, and hopefully lots of things that will be improved.
There are lots of dangerously bad drivers - I don't think I'm one of them - and the comments I've had have also been favourable.
I like to know what's going on around me - so I don't drive along in blissful ignorance in the middle lane, if I need to take some sort of avoiding action I like to know where I can go and who else is around me.
I'm not the best driver in the world, so I try to make up for it in other ways - observation and positioning being a couple. My car doesn't have ABS - I'm sure there are plenty of more capable drivers who could stop in less time than me, so I've tried lessons and training to help with this, and I also leave more space than usual to the vehicles in front.
I'm fairly confident (again after having lessons) that I could catch any slide should the worst happen, but this isn't something I want to happen on the road anyway. I'm aware of how my car will react to different circumstances, I know where the car's limits are (way beyond mine!) and TBH I don't approach them on the road.
I think people get slightly confused - lots of drivers are phenomenally talented when it comes to car control - time and time again I've seen it advocated that people like young Mr Hamilton (prior to this season at least!!) should be able to speed, because of his capabilities behind the wheel, but this is something I couldn't disagree more with.
As it stands, just because you have good car control doesn't mean you're a good driver - you could have a woeful attention span, be dangerously complacent, inattentive when it comes to other traffic - plenty of things that could cause accidents.
I think I'm somewhere in the middle TBH. Lots of things that could be improved, and hopefully lots of things that will be improved.
There are lots of dangerously bad drivers - I don't think I'm one of them - and the comments I've had have also been favourable.
Edited by pthelazyjourno on Tuesday 25th October 13:53
I like to think that I have a sensible attitude to driving, always took it seriously while I was learning and tried to recognise and address my mistakes. However I recognise that I am exceedingly inexperienced, I can't have driven more than 5k miles in total and I have never driven without a parent or instructor in the passenger seat.
MC Bodge said:
see how the local car IAM compares with the local bike IAM
... or better still see how the local car IAM compares to the local car RoSPA. I'm sure it'll vary from area to area, or observer to observer, but I found my local RoSPA far more of a challenge, and far better suited to my every day driving style, than IAM.SeanyD said:
MC Bodge said:
see how the local car IAM compares with the local bike IAM
... or better still see how the local car IAM compares to the local car RoSPA. I'm sure it'll vary from area to area, or observer to observer, but I found my local RoSPA far more of a challenge, and far better suited to my every day driving style, than IAM.MC Bodge's point is that he has recently done bike advanced - so may not have that much more to gain from doing car advanced. Which might be right - or might not.
Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff