What Makes a Good Driver?
It may not be what you think.
Before we get too far with this Substack, I’d like to clarify what I mean by the words “safe,” “safety,” “drive safely,” and “good driver.” After all, these terms get bandied about, and it’s easy to assume we all understand what they mean.
In September 2016, when a colleague and I co-led a fact-finding trip by US government officials and driving school owners to the UK to learn how the British ensure traffic safety, we noticed a curious thing: The word “safety” was rarely mentioned. Instead, in typical fabulous British eloquence, they spoke of producing more “aware and informed” or “fit and proper” drivers.
Language can be elusive and vague. Like stereotypes and biscuits, it’s often heaped with the gravy of whatever assumptions we project on it. The same is true of the word “good”—how many of us are truly “good” drivers? Are you one of them? You probably think so. According to insurance researchers, 70 percent of us believe we’re above-average drivers. That’s cognitive dissonance sweet-talkin’—our eager ears never tire of believing we’re the exception.
Ask ten people what makes a driver a good one, and you’ll probably get ten different answers:
I don’t tailgate.
I don’t speed.
I use the hands-free mode when I’m on my cell phone while driving.
I’m a good driver, but it’s my husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend who’s the real terror on the road.
I had only two glasses of wine before I got behind the wheel.
I haven’t had an accident since dinosaurs roamed the earth and Seinfield went off the air.
These testimonies may be technically true, but how many of us have been surprised by a motorcyclist or pedestrian suddenly appearing out of nowhere? Or a slick patch of ice? Have you ever had a near-miss when you would have plowed into the car in front of you if you hadn’t looked up in the nick of time from fiddling with your car’s touchscreen or smartphone? Did you have to brake in the curve of the last freeway on-ramp you took? Have you ever caught yourself falling asleep at the wheel but pressed on anyway?
If so, you might reconsider what it means to be a good driver.
A good driver is fully aware of the situation at hand—as well as the one they’re about to enter and potentially change. At any given moment, do you know the location of the nine vehicles closest to you? (Meaning the front, rear, all four corners, alongside, and the vehicle beyond the one in front of you?) What about your speed and position relative to them? And how often do you check for their presence?
What about other road users you may not see so easily, like pedestrians, motorcyclists, and riders of scooters, bikes, and wheelchairs? Do you look in all your mirrors—not just your rearview one—before you brake, accelerate, or enter an intersection? What about what you can’t see? What would your escape path be right now?
A good driver is never passive. They constantly search for hazards—or more importantly, the possibility of them. Often mentioned is the scenario of a residential neighborhood with children running out into the street to chase an escaped ball, but slabs of shredded rubber on a highway may mean a disabled semi-tractor trailer is limping ahead or pulled off to the side of the road. If recycling cans are sitting out on the curb, a stopped garbage truck might be just beyond the next hill.
If you hear an emergency siren, you might have difficulty telling where it’s coming from, but spotting a reflection of its flashing lights in a building window or off the side of a vehicle gives you valuable clues just a split second early, enough to act upon. And don’t forget that any slight disturbance in the flow of traffic a quarter mile ahead on a busy highway is an early clue to check your mirrors, reduce your speed, and get ready for the unexpected.
When you drive, do you practice being risk-averse? Would you rather take three right turns instead of that one dangerous left at an impossibly busy intersection with bad visibility? Do you skirt the busiest parts of a shopping mall parking lot to avoid unnecessary interaction with pedestrians and waiting cars? And would you reverse into a parking spot to avoid having to back out blindly into the path of things you can’t see coming?
Consider these three things:
1. A good driver should never cause anyone else on the road to unnecessarily slow, stop, or swerve.
2. You should never be going so fast that you can’t stop safely on your own side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear.
3. A good driver is smooth, predictable, and communicative, thinking several steps ahead in whatever situation they are about to enter—or change.
Speaking of changes, how do you adjust to them? That means changes in the road surface, the weather, your mood and fatigue, distractions inside and outside the car, traffic density, and what vehicle you’re driving. A good driver is also an empathic, compassionate one, thinking of how others use the road and watching out for them without rancor and impatience. A good driver also doesn’t dwell on the negative—they quickly clear their mind so they can safely handle the next situation.
Perhaps the most difficult part of being a good driver is honesty and self-awareness. Whether you’re aware of it or not, we drive exactly how we are as people. Our personalities, egos, habits, life values, ability to decide and plan, confidence levels, social skills, and general outlook are all right there on the road for the whole world to see.
Do you look far ahead, anticipate, let the little things go, give yourself and others room (literally and mentally), and practice courtesy? Or do you consider yourself a victim, violated by the rude actions of others? Or do you feel empowered—not entitled—to protect yourself and avoid putting others in danger? Can you resist revenge? Do you focus on improving the future or obsess about what went wrong in the past?
Your driving reflects all this far more than you think. And others usually see it much more than you.
The next time you get behind the wheel, consider what kind of driver you’re going to be today. Will you be safe? Good? Perhaps even “above average”?
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I love this article! MI Ae, you are just a wonderful writer! I am so impressed. I also learned quite a few things here. You should write a book about this stuff!
Mi- This is such a good applicable method of measurement: “A good driver is fully aware of the situation at hand. At any given moment, do you know the location of the nine vehicles closest to you?” So useful to remember in different situations. I appreciate it.