I've had one accident in 17 years and that was in New Zealand. Driving in the middle of nowhere going "Oooooh.... Aaaaaah" then "Bang!" managed to hit the only vehicle in 100 mile radius.
Years of riding a bike has made me a far better car driver.
All car drivers should be made to ride a 125 or a scooter even just so they can appreciate how many wankers drive cars.
Had 4 accidents because of twats with steering wheels. grrrrrrrr
Gf bought me one of those ferrari experiance driving day thingys for my birthday and i got 95% from the instructor so i chose above average; all that said im less then average in the mornings (driving that is!)
Years of riding a bike has made me a far better car driver.
All car drivers should be made to ride a 125 or a scooter even just so they can appreciate how many wankers drive cars.
Had 4 accidents because of twats with steering wheels. grrrrrrrr
I agree....... think all people should have a bike for 2 years before being put in for driving lessons ...... perhaps that would make car drivers read the road properly.
I was taught to drive by a retired traffic policeman, used to cover 70,000 miles a year for three years due to work, don't have a single point on my licence, have ever been stopped or fined and never crashed into anyone.
Am I a good driver? No, I don't honestly think I can say I am, but I would say I'm better than most and thats a really scary thought!
I voted 'average' but I think I'm generally a good, courteous, aware driver. I drive a fast-ish car and do have moments (when my patience finally breaks) that would class me as a terrible driver but these are infrequent. I do a lot of mileage (2500-3000 miles a month) and I think this has improved my driving no end - I'm more patient than I used to be and I've always been extremely patient so not much phases me.
I've been driving for over 5 years now and I've been in one accident (not my fault, 3rd party tried to pull in to my lane when I was next to him), and I've never been caught speeding (not saying I don't speed).
My brother thinks he's a brilliant driver but he's written off two cars (his fault both times) and it took him two attempts to pass his test (I only needed one).
I put average - I think I am a fairly good driver, but I know I could do better (like, I drive too fast on occasions, I sometimes drive too close to the car in front, I drive when tired).
I do more miles than most people I know, does that make me a better or worse driver? Probably a bit of both; doing more miles probably means I get sloppy and lose some of my cautiousness, but on the upside I probably know my car / it's limits better than others.
So I'll say I'm average.
Of course, if anyone would like to discuss this in a pub, I'm the best driver since Jackie Stewart and I'll have a race with any of you to prove it.
Difficult one to answer. In terms of car control, I have had a lot of training on both the road (was a Police Class 2 driver), and on the track. Have driven very fast cars, very fast. Have also been riding motorcycles for 25 years+ and agree with the previous comments on the heightened awareness as a biker.
Reckon I'm good, but went for above average. Like everyone, I have my moments on the road, but fortunately no accidents, and never been done for anything.
Years of riding a bike has made me a far better car driver.
All car drivers should be made to ride a 125 or a scooter even just so they can appreciate how many wankers drive cars.
Had 4 accidents because of twats with steering wheels. grrrrrrrr
on Radio 4 recently they were discussing a statistic that said that 68% of motorcyclist deaths were caused by the motorcyclist. Surprised me, when you hear bikers talking it's always the car at fault.
Have big respect for bikers and always try to give them some room on the motorway but living in london OMG i want to kill them sometimes. Going over Putney Bridge at 5pm is a nightmare, full of busses, cars and ppl but the bikers are the worst. Driving down the wrong side of the road or weaving from there side onto mine and back in around cars!!!! :angry:
So i had a change in tactics after having to dodge one last week which put me in a brown situation with a bus. I just head right for them I figure my 1.5 ton Golf GTI will more then likely come off a lot better then man on bike and worst case scenario said biker is in the wrong being on my side of the road.
on Radio 4 recently they were discussing a statistic that said that 68% of motorcyclist deaths were caused by the motorcyclist. Surprised me, when you hear bikers talking it's always the car at fault.
I've been at 11 bike accidents not counting my 4. 1 of those was the guy on the bike being a dick.
The other 10 i have seen the car drivers cause the accident.
I wonder where the 68% stat came from...BOLLOCKS i say!!!.
Ride a bike for a few weeks then judge for yourself.
I used to do 30-35k miles a year but that's dropped by more than half. It's really surprising how less natural it feels now and I have to concentrate more, especially at night.
I drive a lot in France and have picked up many French habits, like driving really fast in the inside lane until you are right up on the car in front, pull out and then in again in the least amount of space, or just maniacal overtaking in general. I actually prefer driving in Europe, the Brit habit of sitting in the middle lane in case you might have to overtake something in the next half hour really winds me up. Is it just me or does it get worse the further south you go?
I could relate the tale of one of our gallic YD members who, whilst we were stopped sitting behind a truck at some traffic lights pulled out and overtook the truck by driving up the pavement in the middle of a town
I've been at 11 bike accidents not counting my 4. 1 of those was the guy on the bike being a dick.
The other 10 i have seen the car drivers cause the accident.
I wonder where the 68% stat came from...BOLLOCKS i say!!!.
Ride a bike for a few weeks then judge for yourself.
I'd agree with Diveross and Andy the Commie, everyone should be made to ride a bike for a while - but not just the motorised type. All drivers should be made to ride bicylcles in traffic AND vice versa. Then the Car drivers will get an idea of how dangerous it can be and how much room they should give cyclists and the cyclists can get to see how annoying it is when people weave their way across traffic against a red-light.
I used to be a cyclist - before I had a 30mile commute to work- and once chased, on foot, another cyclist down the length of Richmond high street after he rode straight through a crowd of people on a pelican crossing. The whole street stopped and stared as I was pegging it down the road shouting "Oi STOP!" He had absolutely no comprehension that he'd done anything wrong at all, even the comment that the light was red brought the response "so?"
But then I've seen car drivers with just as bad an attitude to road safety. The lorry driver who tried to force me off the road one time, and after i flashed my lights at him he slowed down and waited for me to try and overtake (dual carriageway) then started to pull out and force me into the central reservation. Then when I managed to pull back and get behind him he slammed on his brakes, I swerved round him to avoid running into the back and he tried to force me off the road again. Nutter.
And there's motorcylists too - T junction, 40mph road with a bend off to the right. I'm turning left atthe junction. I look both ways, check it's clear and pull out, 10 seconds later a bike comes tearing round the bend at easily double the speed limit and has to slam on the brakes because I'm now in front. He pulls up along side and give me a few choice gestures. My fault?
As to the original question. Honestly? When I get behind the wheel I always think I'm a better driver than I actually am, and when I can get that idea into my thick skull I do start to take a little more care with my driving. But I don't do that enough. I hope though that the one day it goes wrong, that I'm the only one in the car, on an empty road, with no mess for anyone else to clear up.
I don't think any of us are actually as good as we like to think we are.
Cheers,
Dave
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