Poll to follow. (if I can figure out how to do it - my first poll!)
I have heard people admit to being bad at, say, math or wallpapering or cooking or any number of things. I have NEVER EVER heard anyone admit to being a bad driver, and yet there a millions of them out there.
I’m a good driver (so much so that someone actually remarked about it.) Got two tickets the first year I was driving (circa 1987) and nothing since. HOWEVER I will admit that even though I’ve been driving close to 25 years I SUCK at backing out of a parking space. I check behind me, check all the mirrors, back out an inch, check behind me, check all the mirrors, make sure I’m not too close to either car alongside of me, back out another couple of inches, check behind me/all the mirrors, back out another couple inches, turn the wheel slightly, double (triple) check I’m not too close to the other cars, PANIC BECAUSE SOMEONE IS WAITING WITH THEIR BLINKER ON TO TAKE THE SPACE, clear the bumper of the car next to me, wipe sweat off my brow and go on with life.
I don’t drive anymore, but when I did I was never in a wreck and never got a ticket. I was a careful driver.
I had a lead foot, tho. Loved to blow out the carbs on a stretch. The one time I did get stopped for speeding, (on a hilly, curvy road—I liked them because it felt like a roller-coaster,) I decided to take it like a man, get my ticket and pay up.
The officer recognized me, tho. He studied me and said, “Don’t you work in Records…?” etc. I said yeah. He closed his book and said PLEASE slow down, you know you’re not supposed to be going that fast here.
Applauds in an English way, while wearing elbow-length white gloves.
Kudos! Here, here! Bravo!
(You doing that is just like the way my grandmother used to could rip you a new asshole and you didn’t even notice it…until later. It takes cunning and finesse to FLY under the radar.)
Yes the time I was pulled over for a rolling stop the officer asked me "“Do you know why I pulled you over?” and said “Yes, rolling stop.” He blinked at me and stared for a couple seconds then said :“well..ok then.” and wrote me a ticket.
The second incidence was truly bizarre. It was around 2 AM on a back road with no traffic where the speed limit was something like 35 and I was going (maybe?) 45. - again, legit ticket to be fair. Cop pulled me over and A) Questioned my age (well it’s there on the license? Do the math.) Then questioned if I’d had any liquor that night. I replied “No, as you can see by my license I’m 16 and that would be illegal.” He said “Where are you coming from?” I said “Henkels & McCoy?” He said “IS THAT A BAR??!?!?!” Me: “:o? It’s a place where I do janitorial duties?” He then said “Where are you headed?” and I said..I don’t remember the name but it was previously a Bob’s Big Boy - something totally innocuous. And he said IS THAT A BAR?!?!?!?" OM OMFG - write me the ticket and GO AWAY!
Yup a certain celebrity I follow, whose name is verboten here, not only failed his/her initial driving test because s/he/it ran a red light , and has been pulled over no less than three times this year, once of which was making a left turn from the MIDDLE LANE and got off with a warning. Still, YOU ARE A SHITTY DRIVER!!!
I didn’t vote, because I’m certain that I’m not a good driver. I’m not a HORRIBLE driver, but my driving skills are not as good as the average person’s. Part of this is because of medical issues, that is, some days I can’t get out of the house. And because I don’t get enough regular practice, my skills have deteriorated. Also, my night vision is pretty much shot. This means that I don’t get to run around at night, which I used to really enjoy.
If I know that I’m going to be particularly bad at driving on a certain day, then I don’t drive if at all possible. I just stay home and sulk.
Oh, I will cop to this…Because of I had LASIK my nighttime vision is a little wonky. Like…Is that red light THIS intersection or the NEXT intersection?
Heck, I can’t even blame my bad nighttime vision on surgery. I just can’t see in the dark very well now. Even with some lighting, I find it VERY hard to see where the curb entrance is to a shopping center, for instance. It’s like I’m wearing two pairs of sunglasses, one on top of the other. Soooo, no more midnight runs to Ol South Pancake house. This particularly sucks because I’m a night owl, and I used to enjoy running around during the wee small hours of the morning, when everyone else was asleep.
Well, unless you never stop driving, it kind of does.
I think I’m a good driver, but I’m also thinking of taking a refresher course, because it’s been a LOOOONG time since I took lessons - plenty of time for terrible habits to creep in.
I’m annoying driver because I tend to drive slowly on the expressway. Not intentionally, but because my car shakes when it goes above 65. And also I’m just never in a real big hurry when I drive. Sometimes I’ll look down at my speedometer and notice that I’m just a little above 45 mph. Then I’ll see cars passing me by, and people looking at me like WTF! Don’t worry; I always stay in the slow lane. And I don’t drive a lot.
I’ve only been in one car accident, and it was the other guy’s fault. So I think I’m safe. Just annoying.
You should get a medal… as well as folks insisting on staying in the passing lane for whatever reason(s) (they usually look at rearview mirror more than where they are going and, also, mumble to themselves… something like “Fuck off, I’m doing 10 MPH over the PSL, damn it!”)… definitely different kinds of medals though.
BTW there are laws against staying in the passing lane, particularly when there is a car going faster than you behind you; too bad cops don’t seem to enforce the law.
I’ve recently been watching “Canada’s Worst Driver” on you-tube.
It’s made me aware of some bad habits (I eat in the car) and a couple of things I could do better. But compared to the drivers on that show, I’m a great driver! It’s amazing how bad you can be and still have a valid license.
Well, none of your poll options really seemed to fit, so I chose the one I thought was closest to 'I’m an average driver - very good at somethings, total crap at others."
Specifically, anything to do with precision driving skills - parking, negotiating through heavy traffic on ice (i.e. when cars are sliding everywhere and you need to avoid them), backing up, etc, I’m excellent at - no problem at all - I can just ‘get’ where the car is and where it needs to go.
Driving with the flow of traffic I’m sure I do boneheaded things all the time - I don’t get honked at (although in my city that’s not really done) but I’m sure I cheese people off. I do drive a Volvo and I read on here that Volvo drivers to boneheaded stuff so I guess thats it.
