Why do you think those large discrepancies between the human estimates?
Is it because most of us love ourselves and are somewhat delusional about our abilities? Some article about this said that maybe it’s just because people we know voice their praise but not their criticisms because it would be rude or mean. I’m not sure I buy that.
I think that it is because we tend to only notice bad drivers and that our resulting estimate of their number, which is based on that fact, is grossly innacurate. As Colbert says, I can feel it’s the right answer in my gut.
[ul]
[li]# of Years Driving 14[/li][li]# of Tickets Received: Speeding, 0 Seatbelt Violation, 1[/li][li]# of Accidents (at fault): 0 [/li][li]# of Accidents (non-fault): 1 - was hit at a traffic light.[/ul][/li]The subjective rating is stupid, I agree. I prefer this. And I’d give myself a 6. In a few more years with this record I’d probably give myself a 7. I do speed but only when traffic around me is moving at the same speed, i.e., everyone is speeding. I never tailgate. Never run red lights. I drive a lot and don’t chat much when I am driving, not even to people in the car. I am fairly experienced at driving in adverse conditions.
tickets: 1 (slowed down to make a legal right-on-red instead of stopping. It was a T intersection, so no one could have been in my lane already. Stupid Cop!)
accidents: 2 (slid all the way down a hill into a guard rail in the snow. Was going about 25 mph. Second one- I did what Johnny did, I turned to look. The guy on the entrance ramp in front of me hit his brakes when I was turned. Minor dent to him, moderate dmg to me).
I drive pretty aggressively. That’s never caused an accident or ticket though. I’m usually going 65 in a 55. So I’m a 5.
So you subscribe to the first hypothesis, you think that people delude themselves?
But then why do they delude themselves? Why don’t we know we are bad drivers, idiots, bad singers, mediocre lovers, ad infinitum? In other words, how do people arrive to that inaccurate* self-opinion?
*note: I’m only referring to opinions on factual things that can be proven erroneous. Nobody will ever think I sing better than, say, Britney Spears. Similarly, if I have intercourse with 20 women (FOR SCIENCE!) and they rate me 5/10 (which is so not true because I’m definitely a 10/10), then I am a mediocre lover.
Concepts like beauty, ethics, taste and so forth are excluded (though I still believe anyone who saw The Mask 2 of his or her own free will should be sent to a re-education camp in Siberia.)
Well, in the case of idiots, they just don’t get it.
Harder to say about bad drivers. I have a co-worker fighting a ticket for rear-ending another car in an ice storm. She insists she was not “driving too fast for conditions”, even when I tried to make the point that driving at 5 mph might well be too fast for some conditions. She has been before a judge twice already, and is going back for round 3. Personally I think she has no chance, but I’m sure she’ll continue so long as she doesn’t have to hire a lawyer to do so.
of accidents (non-fault): 2 - once was hit in a parking lot, once was side swiped when a woman turned into the far lane (mine) instead of the left lane.
I would have to rate myself as a 4 or 5. I haven’t been driving that long and although this wasn’t set as criteria, I get lost easily in unfamiliar places unless I have very clear directions.
# of Years Driving: 15 # of Tickets Received: 2. The first I deserved. The second was in rural Nebraska. The county cop pulled me over for doing 75mph in a 65. I just happened to be behind some farmer out for a “Sunday drive”, I wasn’t even going over 50 mph. It was 4 hours from where I lived so I didn’t even bother trying to fight it. Both tickets were received in 1996. I was pulled over once after moving to Nevada 1n late 1996, but I didn’t get a ticket. I haven’t been pulled over since. # of Accidents (at fault): 1 in 1994 in my Chevy Cavalier. It involved a chain link fence near a construction site at the mall I worked at. I was tired and thought I could squeeze through. I didn’t completely fit. I had to get the passenger side mirror replaced and some minor paint repairs from that. :o # of Accidents (non-fault): It’s a big list… 5 some minor, some major.
1993 in Mazda GLC. a girl made left hand turn into my car, damaged the rear door on the drivers side.
1993 in Mazda GLC. I got broad sided by a woman in a Chevy Lumina. Car was totaled I went to emergency room.
1995 in Chevy Cavalier: rear ended on my way to a math final. Low speeds no real damage. Guy was really nice about it though.
2000 in Chevy Cavalier. Woman changed lanes into my car. Font drivers side fender, hood and bumper damaged.
2001 in Saturn SC2. Girl blew through a stop sign, broadsided me. Car was totaled.
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I would probably rate myself a 5 only for the fact that I tend to drive a bit too fast sometimes.
Driving for 25 years, all with a 2 wheel drive vehicle, winters with snow and ice.
Tickets - 2, both minor speeding in 35 MPH zones, the last one in 1985.
Accidents (my fault) - 0
Accidents not my fault - 0
I am apalled at how bad the average driver is, and how many accidents some people have been in. I’ve probably avoided about 20 “not my fault” accidents by paying attention to the drivers around me.
I’m supremely aggressive, prone to road rage, and I speed like a demon.
This is why I don’t drive.
I consider it a public service on my part.
My husband does as much of the driving in our household as is practicable. I drive very rarely, and I try to be aware of my issues, but I’m still a very bad driver.
I just realized that if I had to answer this question a month ago, I would have had to answer 1 instead of 7. In January I concluded that my eyesight made me too dangerous to drive, and I didn’t drive again until April 17, after having a cataract removed. I am now seeing 20/20 out of that eye, and I am still essentially blind in the other – the second surgery is scheduled for May 21.
But I do have a much better understanding of some bad driving habits, as I was driving for a couple of months when I really shouldn’t have. I had to tailgate EVERYONE anywhere I went, for two reasons. One was to make sure nobody would try to stroll across the street between me and the car ahead of me, because odds are I wouldn’t see a pedestrian in many lighting conditions. The other was so I could see the brake lights ahead and know when to stop.
Years Driving- 9
Tickets- 1 (if we’re not counting tickets for busted headlights)
At-fault Accidents- 1 when I was 16
Not-at-fault Accidents- 1 when I was 16
I don’t speed (on surface roads) and use my turn signal and follow the rules of the fairly carefully. I do, however, have a couple of bad habits. I occasionally use my cell in the car. I don’t chat constantly, but I’ll sometimes make a call at a light that isn’t finished by the time traffic starts moving. I drive a stick, though, so it’s difficult and the calls are really short.
I don’t trust most other drivers, so I’d rather be behind the wheel even if I rate myself only average than with someone else who claimed to be great. But I’m a control freak so what’s new.
That is, my control of the vehicle is at the level of a 6 driver. The 7 guys do things like not need to use the clutch, reverse trailers perfectly every time, etc. My other fault is that I don’t always keep my cool with arseholes. For me, I’m not quite at that level, but I think I’m better than most. I know exactly what’s going on around me, and I drive to conditions. I can parallel park using only stop-reverse-forward with no further adjustments necessary, and I can do it first time every time, and in a space many drivers wouldn’t even attempt (I am a forklift driver, and I believe this helps).
18 years driving, no at-fault accidents, one not my fault and minor, about sixteen years ago. No tickets enforced, but I got one overturned once (and rightly so, I think).
If I’m a 6 for vehicle control, I think I’m a 7 for traffic sense. Even as a pedestrian on a busy footpath, it is amazing how many people have no idea of traffic flow of any sort, where I’ll be picking up subtle cues of others’ intentions by constantly scanning ahead. When driving, I never get caught behind the guy who’s turning across traffic, or the person slowing to look for an address. I have a sixth sense for knowing somebody is about to do something stupid when they haven’t shown any sign of being a bad driver so far.
Im a 6.
I would be a 7, but get quite fustrated when all the <4’s are on the road at once !
I honestly feel that if you consider yourself less than 4 you shouldn’t leave the driveway, you are danger to others and you know it.
