How would you rate yourself as a driver?

[webny99]

How would you rate yourself as a driver?

[SignGeek101]

Not great, and that is partially why I don't drive much. It's not so much that I'm a "bad driver" but more that I don't really like driving and the other people on the road. I guess it's more a inexperience thing which makes me rate myself as "not great".

[wxfree]

I'd say I'm decent to more than decent.  I'm never aggressive.  I mostly avoid big cities, so that helps.  It's hard to be aggressive toward drivers who aren't around.  I make it a habit to obey the laws: speed limits, complete stops, turn signals, and all that.  I have gone over the speed limit in heavy traffic when needed for safety, but I haven't found it necessary since the DFW area freeways got higher speed a couple of years ago.  I drive a lot and have gone about half a million miles with no tickets or accidents.  I did once get hit by a deer on the right rear fender.  It left a small dent that I never cared to fix because the deer was moving slowly and I was moving slowly because the road was like a drive-through petting zoo.  I keep my mind focused by reading every road sign, even on familiar roads, and watching my speed, fuel level, engine temperature, and mirrors regularly.  It helps me keep alert.

[Max Rockatansky]

8-9 out of 10 on most days.  I say that based off the amount of mileage and scenarios I've driven in.  I'm fairly close to 500,000 miles among all the cars I've owned or operated over the years.  I known how to drive a manual, how to use 4wd properly, use transmission braking to my advantage, along with having driven a copious amount of winter mileage.  Usually I can take down a mountain road or twisty far faster than other drivers which I attribute mostly to confront level.  I can't recall the last time that I was lost or really "needed" an aid of GPS beyond just trying to find a really specific address along a street.  Really the thing that throws me off my gate is irritation with commuting, urban driving, traffic jams, and worst of all....tourist traffic.  I enjoy "driving" but I would be hard pressed to call something like a commute as real driving and more a task of tedium.

[MNHighwayMan]

I'm obviously the best driver ever and nothing you can say will ever prove me otherwise.

[kurumi]

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/motr/when-it-comes-to-driving-most-people-think-their-skills-are-above-average.html

[corco]

Some think I'm a terrible driver because I can be aggressive - but nearly every decision I make on the road is well-calculated, even if it comes off aggressive sometimes. Whether that makes me a "good" driver or a terrible and selfish driver is for somebody else to decide.

I am very well versed in the rules of the road and what is legal and what is not in states I drive in often, and push those rules to their legal limits - for instance, in Idaho I will always turn left on red from a two-way onto a one-way, because that is legal in Idaho even though I often get weird looks because people do not know it is legal.I know in Idaho it is illegal to turn right on red on a red arrow, but that in Washington and Oregon it is perfectly legal to do so. I know in several western states it is legal to exceed the posted speed limit by 10 MPH to pass vehicles on two lane roads, and also take advantage of that as often as possible. I could keep going.

I speed, but only within known local tolerances - usually between 5 and 9 over depending on the state. In urban settings, I'll go faster than that if the flow of traffic allows for it, and on rural highways I'll go faster than that if there is a car in front of me going faster, and I can keep a safe distance behind him. If I don't know what the local tolerance is, I keep it to 5 over in most places, or 2 over in small towns along rural highways.

I'm fairly liberal with the horn - I do not hesitate to honk if somebody is delaying traffic or doing something otherwise stupid.

I very very very religiously keep right except to pass, but also do not hesitate to defend lane space if it appears that somebody is going to have to cause me to unnecessarily brake.

I take curves very quickly on mountain roads, and do not hesitate to pass as necessary - but only where legal to do so. I've driven enough on mountain roads in Eastern Europe and in Mexico now that I am comfortable with the more aggressive passing style in place in those countries - and feel like I understand how to do so safely. I prefer driving in those countries because I find the driving style to be much more focused and efficient.

I often make lane changes at the last minute following lights, in order to "cut" the line - but I do so without slowing traffic because I am always very quick off the line when lights change and there is nearly always somebody not paying attention that will leave a gap, at least in this part of the country.

I've been driving in snow extensively since I got my license at 15, and have yet to go in the ditch. I've never been in an accident, and have two tickets to my name in 14 years of driving - one for 80 in a 65 on the New York Thruway in 2007, and one for rolling through a stop sign in the middle of nowhere Montana in 2013. I also bribed my way out of an 88 km/h in a 60 km/h ticket in Bosnia last year, but I don't know if that counts.

Where I fail in driving (beyond the occasional mental lapses that we all sometimes experience) is that I do occasionally experience mild bouts of road rage when I feel like somebody is needlessly obstructing the flow of traffic, and have been known to flip people off/stare at them/honk in ways that are not appreciated - I've never escalated it beyond that - I'm a "flip off and move on" kind of guy, but have gotten myself into several situations where the other car tries to retaliate by trying to run me off the road/sudden braking in front of me/etc. I also probably tailgate more than is explicitly safe in dry road conditions.

[formulanone]

4/10, because Dunning-Kruger.

I can be an aggressive driver when needed and polite when needed. I don't get angered by too much when driving; annoyed, yes...but retaliation, never. I might use a horn once or twice a year (usually because someone hasn't moved after 4-5 seconds when the light turns green). I exceed speed limits at times, corner spiritedly, but never tailgate and almost always use my blinkers. I don't close the door on other drivers. I leave room for others, and keep in my lane. But as you all know, there's a camera nearby if I'm driving alone.

Search yourself when you see the faults of others, but only copy them on a closed course with a professional driver.

[21stCenturyRoad]

I rank myself as a fast, slick driver but safe overall. Driving around in Miami taught me to drive sort of aggressive when needed. I tend to go over the limit most of the time but always practice safe measures. When I drive long distances, I am a much more relaxed driver.

[AsphaltPlanet]

I am hesitant to rate myself as a driver -- I'm not an unbiased observer.  The one thing that I will say though is that I am experienced.  Just doing a quick calculation this morning while getting ready for work, I think I have driven about 90,000km or so in the last year.  That seems more or less typical of the last several years.  I'm sure some have done more than that on this forum, but that still seems like a lot for a non-commercial driver.  Because of this, I have driven in many different weather conditions in many different types of terrain, and am pretty confident in any situation.

The thing with driving however, is that any driver is only ever as good as their worst lapse in judgement.  In my opinion, being experienced doesn't mean that I never make mistakes behind the wheel, but it does mean that I generally always have the skills to recover from mistakes when they happen.

[jeffandnicole]

Most people will say they are a good driver.  Most people will say that most other drivers suck at driving.

Then again, most people will say they don't speed, and that if they do speed it's no more than 5 mph above the limit.  When data shows that most people speed, and most people are traveling at least 5 mph above the speed limit, these perfect drivers say that the data is wrong.  When asked how many speeding tickets they have, they'll tell you a few, but then say that the cop's radar gun wasn't working right, and the cops should've been going after murderers instead.  When they're told they look like the guy on America's Most Wanted, they speed off.

[PHLBOS]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned nor referred to this yet:

Maybe I'm showing my age here.

[SP Cook]

I consider myself excelent.

A good driver, IMHO:

Can drive at the safe speed, which is the flow of traffic, far above the revenue based speed limits.

Understands how expressways work, including keeping right, except to pass, reading signage and preparing for exits well ahead of time, and why they call on-ramps exceleration lanes. 

Can read a map, and has a basic understanding of the entire continent, and a deep understanding of his own area without a map. 

Can drive in any type of topography, including big cities, small cities, rural area, mountains, etc.

Knows when the weather is too bad and to STF home.

Keeps his car in excelent condition and understands that if he cannot afford to, he cannot afford said car.

Knows that if someone slows on an expressway, especially a truck, for no apparent reason, the reason is probably stopped traffic ahead and that a quick lane change is not the correct action. 

Knows how to use hazard flashers. 

Knows how stop signs and stop lights work.  Yellow does NOT mean to speed up. 

NEVER uses a cell phone other than handsfree.  Uses a cell phone hands free ONLY in easy driving conditions, not in parking lots, city streets, etc. 

Knows that, while it is very safe to drive well over the SL on the highway, most accidents happen on streets and parking lots, and drives accordingly.  There is NO reason anyone should be able to cause body damage in a parking lot.  STF down.

[ColossalBlocks]

Inpatient. Very impatient. I'll roll 80/90 down most highways (the cops around here really don't give a shit).

[Rothman]

I am okay.  My biggest flaw is getting mad at LLBs and then getting caught LLB-ing myself despite my best efforts (typically think I am catching up to a car in front of me faster than I am).  Embarrasses me something awful.

[cjk374]

This is kinda like asking "how do you rate yourself having sex?". Damn right I am the best! Better than a porn star!

[Duke87]

I think it's worth separating knowledge from skill here.

Academically, I know the correct method of handling just about any situation I might reasonably encounter on the road. How successful I am at properly executing all of these methods in practice is another story. As with anyone else, I am susceptible to fatigue, distraction, impatience, anxiety, and all of the various human failings that may negatively impact my success in handling a given situation.

My knowledge is above average (I would posit the same is true for most roadgeeks). I will make no such claim about my skill, since I have no objective basis for doing so and don't subjectively believe it to be the case besides.

[tchafe1978]

I would rate myself a 9, but my wife would probably rate me a 5. I've never gotten a ticket or had an accident, though I've been stopped for speeding 3 times but got away with just warnings. Got pulled over once for my license plate light being out. I've ended up in the ditch because of snow or ice maybe twice. I'm generally courteous to other drivers, and use the left lane only to pass, then get back over when I'm done. I usually drive 5 to 10 over the limit and have never had a problem getting stopped or keeping up with the flow of traffic. I live in a small town now, but grew up in a bigger city, so city driving doesn't phase me. My wife however, claims I look around too much at the scenery, and follow too close at times. I won't deny a couple near misses, but otherwise disagree!

LGL56VL

[Brandon]

I'll let you guys decide how good/bad I am.  Some of you know, as you've been in my car during road meets.

I've only gotten one ticket, for overstaying a parking meter in downtown Joliet ($10).  If I had one more quarter that day, I wouldn't have gotten it.

Speeding over the limit depends on where I am.  In town, I don't really go much, if any, over the limit.  Outside of town, it might be 5-10 above on the rural highways.  As for freeways, screw the limit.

Red signals and stop signs are a must to stop at.  I will give the horn to other drivers and bicyclists who blow the signal or sign (and even pedestrians who cross against the light).

I believe in being quick and nimble while driving (hence why I like smaller over larger cars).  I tend to let off the gas before entering a curve, and accelerate through the curve, more often than not exiting at a high speed than I entered at.

There is a reason cars come with accelerator pedals and rear differentials.  Use them.  Square your corners, that's why the manufacturer put a rear differential on your vehicle.  Also, accelerate out of the way of traffic.

Enter a freeway at speed.  I believe one should enter at the speed of the flow of traffic.  If traffic is going 70 mph, then you should damn well be at 70 by the end of the ramp.  If you enter below speed and cut me off while I'm on the freeway, I will not hesitate to hit the horn.  Also, there's a reason why ramps have some sort of length.  Decelerate on the ramp, not on the freeway.

Drive smoothly.  I had a coworker once who was involved in a nasty crash.  She did not sleep or rest in a moving vehicle.  She did rest (even closing her eyes) when I drove the company truck.

I also tend to get better gas mileage than the EPA or Consumer Reports claims for almost any given vehicle.

[jeffandnicole]

I would rate myself a 9, but my wife would probably rate me a 5. I've never gotten a ticket or had an accident, though I've been stopped for speeding 3 times but got away with just warnings. Got pulled over once for my license plate light being out. I've ended up in the ditch because of snow or ice maybe twice. I'm generally courteous to other drivers, and use the left lane only to pass, then get back over when I'm done. I usually drive 5 to 10 over the limit and have never had a problem getting stopped or keeping up with the flow of traffic. I live in a small town now, but grew up in a bigger city, so city driving doesn't phase me. My wife however, claims I look around too much at the scenery, and follow too close at times. I won't deny a couple near misses, but otherwise disagree!

LGL56VL

Then you're a 5.

And that's probably being generous.

[Life in Paradise]

I would say that I'm a capable driver.  That being said, all other drivers are idiots.  At least that what I said when I was around them on the road.

[sparker]

I drive a bit faster than what seems to be the average around here (but then this area has more than its share of reticent drivers), but still make every attempt to be aware of the specifics of the environment in which I'm driving.  Pushing 70, my peripheral vision isn't what it used to be, so I find myself having to compensate by moving my head around a bit more than previously.  Overall, I'd say I'm a bit better than simply competent -- and with 52 years of experience behind the wheel behind me -- I'm doing OK!

[Roadgeekteen]

I'm so bad I can't even steer.

[webny99]

Something that I saw the other day made me think of this thread, so I hope it's OK to revive...

I was on a two-lane portion of NY 104 heading EB, following a string of six or so cars, the first of which was a large camper. I could tell the Accord in front of me was getting antsy, and that was confirmed when he took a chance to pass up the two cars in front of him (so now he's fourth in line instead of sixth). After a few miles, we came upon a red light, at which point the Accord went zooming up on the right shoulder with his right blinker on. I thought that was odd, since it happened to be an intersection where turning right is nearly a 180° turn. Sure enough, within a few seconds the light turned green, and the Accord switched from right blinker to left and quickly accelerated in front of the camper to continue going straight.

Now, I think I can come across as aggressive sometimes, but that was a bridge too far even for me. I've passed other traffic using acceleration lanes, and even using turn lanes once or twice, but never using the shoulder. I can't imagine what was so urgent that couldn't have waited for one of the many passing zones just down the road, except maybe an emergency of some sort.

[Max Rockatansky]

I guess we'll find out in Maui next week.  All that one lane mountain stuff I do locally apparently will come in handy.