What makes a good driver?

[trentvy]

Just got very frustrated talking to a female 17 year old learner friend of mine. who tries to tell me "I hate people who cant drive for shit" .

I respond saying youve been driving for 12 months and you obviously are in no condition to judge seein as your mum has to sit with you when you drive.
I then asked her if she considered herself a good driver. "of course", was the answer i got. I closed my eyes and shook my head. that over self confidence i can bet will be the cause of her first and maybe last accident. I gave her a scenario saying could you do a reverse parralell park on a busy city road with driver honkin you and gettin frustrated? her response was, "Im a good driver not a good parker"

Frustrating to think she'll be able to think for herself in 1.5 ton of steel In just over 12 months.

So I ask all of you. what makes a good driver? Ive looked around and its interesting to see people responses. All of them very different. So, What makes a good driver??

(FYI I dont consider myself a good driver I know Ive got alot to learn and want to develop my skills to become a great and safe driver)

[one_and_only2004]

P plates.

/discussion

[Commotoro]

A good driver is someone who follows the road rules all the time and provides a comfortable ride to their passengers, takes no pointless risks, treats their car with respect minimising wear and tare and is confident in all situations. My mates and i used to think that it was realy cool to race, do burnouts and generally drive like hoons. I woke up to myslelf in time and realised my commodore was infact a family car and was not built to handle, one of my best mats still thaught his VS was a drift machine. He over corrected, crossed double lines and put two people in hospital.

[edals]

A good driver is someone who follows the road rules all the time and provides a comfortable ride to their passengers, takes no pointless risks, treats their car with respect minimising wear and tare and is confident in all situations. My mates and i used to think that it was realy cool to race, do burnouts and generally drive like hoons. I woke up to myslelf in time and realised my commodore was infact a family car and was not built to handle, one of my best mats still thaught his VS was a drift machine. He over corrected, crossed double lines and put two people in hospital.

Very true, I almost crashed into a pole, the rear stepped out and only just held it. really woke me up to slow down.
From when i was riding, The only way to survive was basically everyone was out there trying to run you down, And as said by Commotoro - follows the road rules all the time and provides a comfortable ride to their passengers, takes no pointless risks, treats their car with respect minimising wear and tare and is confident in all situations. Also throttle control. not having to go near the brakes, esp when i use to ride, have to ride like you dont have brakes, as there are useless due to no tread on the road.

[ephect]

i would define a good driver as someone who knows whats going on around them on the road, ie: will that car continue swerving when i get closer? or will that P-plater slam up my ass if i need to brake quickly? They can read the road and the drivers around them

They follow the speed limit when its safe to do so, not necessarily all the time, if there is a clown on the road its safer to break the law for 10secs and speed, they will. They know that if they need to take a risk, 1, their car can do it safely. 2, they see/know all possible senaros/outcomes

They note what the car is doing, reacting, responding, they monitor engine gauges. They keep left when not overtaking and keep a safe distance.

Generally just being totally aware of your car and surroundings.

[Philthy]

i would define a good driver as someone who knows whats going on around them on the road, ie: will that car continue swerving when i get closer? or will that P-plater slam up my ass if i need to brake quickly? They can read the road and the drivers around them

They follow the speed limit when its safe to do so, not necessarily all the time, if there is a clown on the road its safer to break the law for 10secs and speed, they will. They know that if they need to take a risk, 1, their car can do it safely. 2, they see/know all possible senaros/outcomes

They note what the car is doing, reacting, responding, they monitor engine gauges. They keep left when not overtaking and keep a safe distance.

Generally just being totally aware of your car and surroundings.

This is almost exactly what I had in mind. Now I don't have to type it up

[tr3nt]

The way I see things, you could be an excellent driver, yet still make mistakes. Hell, look at Peter Brock, he was considered a perfect driver, not only did he have an accident, but he lost his life. Also another example is Eric Bana - Anyone who's seen "Love the beast" will know what i'm talking about.

[southy]

i would define a good driver as someone who knows whats going on around them on the road, ie: will that car continue swerving when i get closer? or will that P-plater slam up my ass if i need to brake quickly? They can read the road and the drivers around them

They follow the speed limit when its safe to do so, not necessarily all the time, if there is a clown on the road its safer to break the law for 10secs and speed, they will. They know that if they need to take a risk, 1, their car can do it safely. 2, they see/know all possible senaros/outcomes

They note what the car is doing, reacting, responding, they monitor engine gauges. They keep left when not overtaking and keep a safe distance.

Generally just being totally aware of your car and surroundings.

I totally agree with you there with driving deffensively, if someone is being a clown they will read the road and whats going on and either hang back or get out of there..

Im an L plater as well (hopefully not next week) and if someone had asked me the same question the answer would be, I can drive but no i am not a "good" driver as i have only been driving for 12 months and know only a little bit of how a car will react and so on in a dangerous situation, will my car be able to do that safely etc

But i would identify a good driver as a person who would not take risks without a valid reason, wouldnt put other driver or road users at risk, monitor everything that is going on and just obey the road rules..

[Morton]

i would define a good driver as someone who knows whats going on around them on the road, ie: will that car continue swerving when i get closer? or will that P-plater slam up my ass if i need to brake quickly? They can read the road and the drivers around them

They follow the speed limit when its safe to do so, not necessarily all the time, if there is a clown on the road its safer to break the law for 10secs and speed, they will. They know that if they need to take a risk, 1, their car can do it safely. 2, they see/know all possible senaros/outcomes

They note what the car is doing, reacting, responding, they monitor engine gauges. They keep left when not overtaking and keep a safe distance.

Generally just being totally aware of your car and surroundings.

That pretty much covers it. It's all about 360 degree awareness, and knowing what every other idiot is going to do.

Being able to handle your car, and being able to handle other road users, are two very different things.

[Kikki]

i would define a good driver as someone who knows whats going on around them on the road, ie: will that car continue swerving when i get closer? or will that P-plater slam up my ass if i need to brake quickly? They can read the road and the drivers around them

They follow the speed limit when its safe to do so, not necessarily all the time, if there is a clown on the road its safer to break the law for 10secs and speed, they will. They know that if they need to take a risk, 1, their car can do it safely. 2, they see/know all possible senaros/outcomes

They note what the car is doing, reacting, responding, they monitor engine gauges. They keep left when not overtaking and keep a safe distance.

Generally just being totally aware of your car and surroundings.

Agree with the above.

[XST80]

I agree with majority of what has been said in this thread.

I think one of the biggest factors is knowing your cars abilities, knowing how far you can push it, knowing whether you can get across a road in time i.e pulling out of a drive way to the other side of the road.

A good driver knows how quickly the car accelerates, how quickly it pulls up under brakes, how far the brakes can be applied before lock up etc, etc.

[greenacc]

..... it means being able to stay out of trouble, and when or if you do get into some - having the skills to get yourself out of it.

[HamaTime™]

Being able to read traffic, follow the road rules, and before you make a decision, make sure your ass is covered.

I am sick to death of people not doing the speed limit for any particular reason, i.e. for a long period of time, people who don't look in their mirrors before changing lines or whatnot and most of all, people that can't merge at the right speed.

Over confidence really is the downfall of a driver, I don't consider myself to be a 'good driver' but I follow the rules, I put safety first. In my view, that is key.

[minux]

minux.

nuff said.

[VKCOMMO]

minux.

nuff said.

lol

according to FAT.084 its not me, its my fault that i people with show cars dont drive them out on the roads (im not allowed to drive)

[cameron20020]

someone who is not an idiot like me probably

[cracker]

anyone who isnt a red p plater/ asain/ taxi driver

[nathanVY]

i would define a good driver as someone who knows whats going on around them on the road, ie: will that car continue swerving when i get closer? or will that P-plater slam up my ass if i need to brake quickly? They can read the road and the drivers around them

They follow the speed limit when its safe to do so, not necessarily all the time, if there is a clown on the road its safer to break the law for 10secs and speed, they will. They know that if they need to take a risk, 1, their car can do it safely. 2, they see/know all possible senaros/outcomes

They note what the car is doing, reacting, responding, they monitor engine gauges. They keep left when not overtaking and keep a safe distance.

Generally just being totally aware of your car and surroundings.

pretty much.

[excalibur]

i am the best

end thread

[MikesCalais]

A good driver cant be OVERLY confident with their abilities, but you'd damn well wanna hope that they are VERY confident. Whenever you ask any driver 'do you think youre a good driver?' the answer should ALWAYS be 'yes!' no matter if their on their L's, P's or full licence.

The amount of major accidents and very near misses there are due to hesitation and not know what the hell youre doing (ie, turning right from the left lane - when its not a hook turn, u-turns at busy intersections, not merging!!! - stopping when merging onto a freeway etc.)

A good driver has to know the road rules (dont have to be an expert who can recite every single rule off the top of your head), know your car and its abilities, know your abilities and your limits, and be aware of your surrounings. that is all.

also, I'll jump on the bandwagon and say I make the best driver. done and done.

[kane88]

the best driver is the one that stays at home...

[STEALTHY™]

minux and stealthy.

nuff said.

So true!

[stocky]

Just got very frustrated talking to a female 17 year old learner friend of mine. who tries to tell me "I hate people who cant drive for shit" .

I respond saying youve been driving for 12 months and you obviously are in no condition to judge seein as your mum has to sit with you when you drive.

Only having L plates doesn't mean she isn't able to spot a moron driver on the road.

[hsvpunk]

nobody is a good driver.

[jules]

someone who doesn't say "i've had 15 crashes and they were all the other driver's fault"