The question is a loaded one...

What makes a good driver? What kind of driving? If you are talking track its a much different set of criteria. If you talking street, again a much different criteria. Most of the responses here have been orirented towards a "safe" driver, not a good driver. Not that safe is exclusive from good, but on a track safe == bad driver, for the most part. If you arent willing to go to the limits, you wll be a lousy driver on the track, pure and simple. Ditto for the reverse... if you drive like on the track while on the street you definatly arent a good driver... your a time bomb.

IMHO... in both traits ( performance vs safe ) a good driver is made from.

SKILL. Point blank number one biggest thing. Some people can drive some people cant. Shitty vision, poor eye hand coordination, lack of predictive thinking or analytical thought. Those make both a skilled driver and safe driver.

Maturaty. Not age, experience. And im not talking about the number of miles behind the wheel, im talking the number of experiences behind the wheel, and more importantly what you learned from them!

Awareness. This one goes with skill. You could be the best pilot on the road, but if you cant see that the car in front of you is about to change into your lane just because his/her blinker isnt on... well... your going to get in accidents. Hey... your not technically at fault, but if you were a good driver, chances are you could have prevented it. The number of near misses ive had in my life is astounding... most of them was when I rode motorcycles. Cars dont see you or look for you, so you have to be EXTREMELY aware. A near miss is a rewarding thing, because you prevented a "not my fault" accident purely out of your own resources. Like I said, drive a motorcycle for a while... you will become a better car driver for sure... or atleast a more aware driver, if you survice the experience

Knowledge. Pull up to a four way, all way top at the exact same time as four other vehicles and watch the hilariaty begin. Honest... learn the frickin rules of the road... there really arent that many, but I would say 60% percent of people dont know them.

Fearless-ness. Dont be a chickenshit. This one was really big on a bike. If you road a bike and were constantly afraid of it, you should sell it. You just cant drive well if your afraid of everything. This applies to cars to, especially when you get into panic situations... the tractor trailer infront of you just jackknifed, what do you do?!?!?! I've been in this exact situation, was quick on my feet ( so to speak ), and managed a quick dodge around it. The person behind me, and the person behind them both locked up there breaks and smashed into the side. I know luck played a huge role here, but confidence, skill and knowledge are huge contributing factors to why I, unlike the person behind me, am not currently 6 feet under.

Fear. Yeah yeah, I know im contradicting myself, but point black... driving around without fearing death is a pretty stupid thing to do. It will catch up with you. All im saying is, you can live in fear while you drive... but you damned well better be aware that at higher speeds the dumbest f@#$king things can kill you. Not to mention a deer on the road, a blown tire a nasty pothole. Things you should always consider when that urge of "im on an empty highway, lets see how fast this car can go!" kicks in. It may be empty, but deer and other wildlife are remarkably stupid when it comes to following the rules of the road .


Dont take this as preaching. When I was a kid I raced mini sprints, so when I got my license, I drove like an idiot. Sad part is, I was remarkably good at it, so I managed two years of ballsout amazing sport driving on the street. It catches up with you Im just glad when it caught me I was lucky enough not to hurt or kill anyone. Its a hard lesson to learn. On the bright side... in the 12 years since ive never been in another accident, and have dodged hundreds ( try living in montreal... you'll see... ). My reckless years were very valuable to me... I did learn to take a car to its limits ( and past... ) , plus I had in retrospect a very low cost ( well... my insurance didnt feel that way, nor did the 6K $ telephone pole ) life experience that made me a ton better today.

Live and learn.

 

here, flow is decreased by all the rubber neckers...i can't even begin to count how many times traffic on a major highway has come to single digit speeds only to find out it is people stopping to look at someone several feet onto the sholder changing a tire...and half the time its on the other side of median

 

Jesus Christ...

Just turned 30, and gave my first "Wise old man" posting ever. God I feel depressed... quick, anyone want to talk about drifting to make me feel young again? :D

 

i had a lady who was going about 20mph slower than me merge into my lane when i was about 1 car length behind her. abs worked really well, and i laid on the horn...she freaked out, threw both her hands in the air (i saw both of them in the air shaking in a surprised reaction) and she slammed on her brakes (like that's good decision).

um...i had a point to this story, but i forgot it, so, um, yeah.

 

...must .... not .... make ..... sexists .... woman .... driver .... joke ..... MUST ..... RESIST ....


ahhhhh...

Your right though, Slow is just as dangerous as fast, perhaps more so. But then again, slow is often signs on many other problems... like the blue haired old woman that cant read the speedo anymore, so must focus on the small stretch of road infront of her. Screw young drivers... its those people that are the most dangerous. But oddly, they dont normally get in accidents, they just cause them. Thats why insurance rates are so screwed up.

 

Statistically, you've already had over your quota Jaisin. The problem with accidents is that you don't know the severity or the outcome until it's too late. The only acceptable amount of accidents to have is zero.

I believe your original question was what makes a driver safe. A truly safe driver not only does not get into any accidents but never causes anyone else to get into an accident.

 

also, there might be more accidents at slower speeds, but they are less severe than those at higher rates. also, there's nothing more frightening to me than seeing an SUV or pickup hauling **** up the highway. soft suspensions, heavier vehicle weight means slower stopping distance, and a penchant to roll over.

 

Not fair. Accidents happen, thats why they are called accidents. Now, at fault accidents are a different story. Yet even there, as long as the person learns from the accident years later they can still be considered a safe driver ( or good driver... pick you wording )

My girlfriend/wife got nailed a few years back my a drunk driver parked at a red light at a busy intersection. So... shes had an accident. That does not make her a bad driver... ( not that im saying shes a great driver ).

 

there are some accidents that really are unavoidable...like being rearended sitting at a stop light, or another driver doing something stupid at the last minute where there just isn't enough time to avoid it.

 

Not mentioned but probably the most important is self-understanding. You need to know (really know) the limit of your skills and stay within them. On a public road that means not getting so close to the limit of your skills that an unexpected but possible event doesn't require that you react in a way that causes you to go beyond your abilities. In other words don't drive at 9/10ths down the road - a child popping out from between cars or somebody merging on the highway will need you to react in a way that you don't have the skills to handle.

 

What if the accidents are unavoidable? The accident was unavoidable even though it was only a fender bender for me. The other car was totaled because he got sideswiped by a truck. It was inevitable that he would get hit because there was no where he could go and the guy in the truck did it without any warning. He was just driving a long side the other car, but he wasn't swerving or making any sudden moves. That changed, he suddenly jerked the wheel and came over into the other car
and caused me and the cars behind me to slide to a stop. My hood went into his trailer hitch, and the car behind me almost hit me, but he missed thank goodness. Its a three lane one way street, and there is no obvious reason to get over that quickly. He got some type of ticket, but I never found out what it was for. I never even saw his face. There are lots of police downtown, so they were there immediately and they kept us separated.

 

That is what I am saying exactly. Some are just truly unavoidable.

 

^this is when some good luck charms in the car would help

 

sounds like you were following a bit close.....

 

^^ i don't buy that rabbits feet are good luck charms. really, how lucky was the poor rabbit?

 

Tell me about it... I have bad luck following me. My car gets beat up if im in it or not in it. It gets beat up if I am moving or not moving. My aunt hit the car when it was sitting in the driveway and my rear bumper is dented.

 

that pretty much sounds right. although the guy you rear ended was in one of those unavoidable situations...twice.

 

Jaisin, like I said, some accidents are simply accidents. They happen and no they dont make you a bad driver.

However, overpowering a car to slide sideways into a curb, especially a car like the RX8, that sounds like a screw up pure and simple. Frankly, it sounds like you were driving past your means. Those are the types of accidents you need to avoid.

I dont know the circumstances, or even if thats what happened, but 95% of single vehicle accidents are driver screwup. Pure and simple.

Don't justify what you have or havent done, or have or havent done to you, just learn from it. Thats part of that whole reason why age or maturity often does actually make better drivers out of people.

And ironically enough, the accident you had will probrably be avoidable to you in the future now that you've been through it. Were you too close? Did you not notice an idiot driver before hand? Did you not pay enough attention to your surroundings to see if there was infact an escape route ( say... the shoulder ). Im not saying that the accident that you were in could have been avoided, but often they actually can, and if you drive with the proper mindset you will start to see that.

 

lesson learned...take someone else's car to your aunt's house :D

 

I was following the car that got sideswiped and the truck tried to squeeze inbetween, for whatever reason, and he was either going to hit me or the other car. When he came in, he clipped the other car and put it into a fishtail straight into a pole and curb. He also filled the gap between my car and the other car. Right when he hit the other car, he slammed on his brakes and I slid into the back of him going approximately 5mph. The speed limit downtown is 25, so my car lucked out, and I was able to stop fairly quickly. He moved up after I hit him. I was extremely mad, but I was faced with either hitting him, the curb to the left, or the car to the right of me. His truck wasn't even damaged by me except for the trailer hitch.

 

Age isn't an absolute factor, but there is a reason that insurance rates are so high for single male drivers under 25. It's a combination of fearlessness, lack of a clear understanding of the dangers, and testosterone. Precisely the same factors that make them so appealing to recruiters for the armed services.

People, especially the young, tend to think that good driving relates to cat-like reflexes and keen awareness of the now. When in reality those things must be balanced with planning, and awareness of how things will unfold. Having a .17 vs. a .24 second reaction time might help you in an emergency but that's a drop in the bucket compared to the whole seconds of time you can buy yourself by driving strategically - and never letting the emergency develop in the first place. Understanding of the physical principles is something that a lot of people don't have. You can learn these young and it's a great start. Understanding some of the finer points, and how other drivers react in a variety of situations is something that often can be gained only with experience.

 

Yes, but she came to my house. When she tried to pull in behind me, she hit the back of my car. She is 84 and really doesn't need to be driving, but I can't say anything becaus eI have to respect the elders.

 

Screw elders Thats the reason so many old people are on the road that shouldnt be anymore! Not trying to hijack the thread but damn, screw the pity aspect when it comes to something so dangerous as driving a vehicle.

I watched it with my grand father... he went to 4 different doctors until one took pity on him and declared him fit to drive. This is a guy thats so blind he bounces his way out of his garage to the road. Once you hit a certain point ( not age, im talking perception here ), frankly, screw pity and yank their licenses!

Sorry, end of rant

EDIT: Hell, while im off topic here... I should add. I think drivers exams should be manditory every 7 or so years. I know my vision aint what it used to be, but my license still says I have 20 - 20 vision. People should have to prove themselves capable of driving constantly throughout their lives ( not jsut old people either ) as your body and reactions change A WHOLE LOT as you age. Hell, im 30 now like I said, and I know my reactions and vision aint what they used to be.

 

The curb accident was definately my fault. I just sucked at driving pure and simple. My shifting was so terrible, and my reaction to hearing the wheels sqaull was bad. I could have easily avoided it by staying calm, but I jerked the wheel and it made the car fishtail. I didn't really know how to get it straight again, so I just hit the curb. I didn't even realize hitting the curb was that bad at that point and time. I specifically remember not being a smooth shifter, and everytime I would shift, I'd let off the clutch too fast and it would make the wheels spin.

 

ooh, that's a touchy subject. we had to get my grandfather's license taken away a couple of years ago. it was a bad situation.