Why it's important not to have other road users lift their game

[shrub]

A common complaint here is that other road users are dickheads and put us in danger. I agree 100%, and some of the driving I see is bizarre, but I don't agree with the bit that usually follows: that they (other road users) need to lift their game.

My rationale behind this is that 95% of road users are pretty good overall, and it is possible (and even easy) to travel on Her Majesty's highways in safety - I rode just over 11,000 kms last year, many of them in town, and I had zero accidents - that's a pretty typical year for me, and every crash I have ever had was primarily caused by the fat bald cunt behind this keyboard (only I was neither fat nor bald when I caused those crashes). I'm an average rider on a good day, so it's not my expertise that has kept me alive, which means the general driving skill of other road users is plenty good enough for most of us to stay alive on the roads.

But what's wrong with getting everyone to lift their game? Surely that would make the roads safer? Yeah, logically it would, but the reason I am still around irritating people is because when I get on my bike I know that there are 5% of the people on the road who drive like retards and don't stop at red lights, tail gate, don't look, don't indicate, get pissed etc. Some of them are men, some women, they're all ages, drive all kinds of vehicles (including bikes) and are everywhere and anywhere at any time of the day or night. I have no idea who they are or when they are going to enter my world, so I am always ready for them.

I know that there is a 95% chance that the guy in the new Commodore coming up to the red light is a good driver and will stop, but because there is a 5% chance he's a retard, I don't count on him stopping. That means I watch how fast he is travelling, cover my brakes and look for an escape route, so if he turns out to be a retard I shake my head and carry on home.

Imagine if there was a massive drive to lift other road user's game, and somehow they managed to get 99.999% of road users to be clever. In my utopian world I know that 99.999% of people now always stop for red lights, so logically when I see a green light I just ride on through with a smile on my face as I think of beer in the fridge. But when the 0.001% retard and I cross paths, I won't be expecting her I won't be prepared.

As long as there is an appreciable level of risk, we have to know what that risk is and be prepared for it. As long as there is appreciable risk and as long as we are prepared for that risk, we are in control of our safety. Until we live in a 100% safe world I don't believe we can lose the edge of danger that keeps us on our toes because it is that edge which keeps us alive.

[Scuba_Steve]

I know that there is a 5% chance that the guy in the new Commodore coming up to the red light is a good driver and will stop, but because there is a 95% chance he's a retard, I don't count on him stopping. That means I watch how fast he is travelling, cover my brakes and look for an escape route, so if he turns out to be a retard I shake my head and carry on home.

I'll let someone else point out the major flaws in your theory like "why don't we just hand everyone a licence then?". I'll just fix that major flaw above for you

[SMOKEU]

No where near 95% of drivers are "good" drivers. All too often I see bad driving:

1. People don't know how to even use their indicators properly at a roundabout.

2. Braking during, rather than before a corner.

3. Failing to keep within their own lane while cornering, cutting corners around a blind corner.

4. Failing to keep in the left lane on a multi laned road where reasonably possible.

5. Driving at 80-90kmh in a 100kmh zone, then slowing down to 70kmh in a 50kmh zone or 50kmh in a 30kmh zone when they come across a small town or road works.

6. Driving slowly and refusing to pull over to let other people past.

7. Driving at 90kmh on the open road, then increasing their speed to 110kmh in a passing lane.

The fact remains that in general, NZ drivers are bad drivers. There is no requirement for learners to be taught by a professional driving instructor, so they pick up bad habits from whichever idiot teaches them to drive.

[oneofsix]

Not a bad post, quite good in fact but....
There has to be a but or there wouldn't be a thread.
I suspect humans can not live in a risk free world, it is like living stress free, it would kill us.
And then there are the adrenaline junkies, they kind of prove that there must be a level of risk by taking it to the extreme.
If there is no risk in driving then what happens? A large number will drive in such away as to create risk. The authorities in fact use this to control us by trying to replace physical risk with financial risk, trouble is most see their financial risk as artificial, which it is, and therefore find ways to frustrate it.
Oh another point. That 5% you talk about is too often since a specific drivers whereas in fact on one day a driver could be in the 95% but the next day, or nex minit, they are in the 5% due to an unrelated trigger.

[shrub]

I'll let someone else point out the major flaws in your theory like "why don't we just hand everyone a licence then?". I'll just fix that major flaw above for you

If 95% of other road users were retards i would never leave the house, but that leads to oneofsix's point:

That 5% you talk about is too often since a specific drivers whereas in fact on one day a driver could be in the 95% but the next day, or nex minit, they are in the 5% due to an unrelated trigger.

Exactly, we need to know that at any one point anyone and everyone can turn into a retard and do something stupid. Most people are fine most of the time, but because there is no perfect driver we need to be constantly prepared.

[FJRider]

The majority of "Road users" will at some stage. Either on a one off time(s) type basis ... or ... on a regular basis ... expect other road users to make avoiding action(s) to prevent a collision with them.

The flaw in this idea, is that sometimes ...

That other road user ...

(a) Hasn't seen the offender ... in time.
(b)Hopes the offender will change their mind ... when they see no avoiding action taken.

In the case of (b) ... being "in the right" is not a good justification to being involved in an "accident" ... The term accident not really the correct term, as the offender actually did it on purpose.

[awa355]

No where near 95% of drivers are "good" drivers. All too often I see bad driving:

1. People don't know how to even use their indicators properly at a roundabout.

2. Braking during, rather than before a corner.

3. Failing to keep within their own lane while cornering, cutting corners around a blind corner.

4. Failing to keep in the left lane on a multi laned road where reasonably possible.

5. Driving at 80-90kmh in a 100kmh zone, then slowing down to 70kmh in a 50kmh zone or 50kmh in a 30kmh zone when they come across a small town or road works.

6. Driving slowly and refusing to pull over to let other people past.

7. Driving at 90kmh on the open road, then increasing their speed to 110kmh in a passing lane.


.

That sounds just like me BUT when I'm on my bike???,

[Gremlin]

The problem is that if everyone settled, it would be at the lowest common denominator. I do 15,000km a year all city work, then a further 30,000km+ in the country. All motorcycle. The average driver is not good enough, and yes, I think I'm above average skill wise.

However, I'm still going through some advanced riding, because why shouldn't you aim to be the best you can be?

[Bassmatt]

No where near 95% of drivers are "good" drivers. All too often I see bad driving:

1. People don't know how to even use their indicators properly at a roundabout.

2. Braking during, rather than before a corner.

3. Failing to keep within their own lane while cornering, cutting corners around a blind corner.

4. Failing to keep in the left lane on a multi laned road where reasonably possible.

5. Driving at 80-90kmh in a 100kmh zone, then slowing down to 70kmh in a 50kmh zone or 50kmh in a 30kmh zone when they come across a small town or road works.

6. Driving slowly and refusing to pull over to let other people past.

7. Driving at 90kmh on the open road, then increasing their speed to 110kmh in a passing lane.

Shit, reading that I was sure you must be in Tauranga .
ChCh drivers crap too huh?

[James Deuce]

95%? What are you on? 1% are good. Maybe 50% are below average. The rest wouldn't get a license in Nigeria because they aren't clever enough to figure that you need to bribe someone in that wonderful country to get a driver's license.

[rastuscat]

You are on to something though.

You are totally in charge of only one persons driving/riding.......your own.

You can't change everyone else, you can only change yourself. Do what you can to be as good as you can. Expect that nobody else is going to improve, as that will increase your defensiveness, and decrease your reliability on their improvement.

Use the force (your own), and all will be well.

[shrub]

You are on to something though.

You are totally in charge of only one persons driving/riding.......your own.

You can't change everyone else, you can only change yourself. Do what you can to be as good as you can. Expect that nobody else is going to improve, as that will increase your defensiveness, and decrease your reliability on their improvement.

Use the force (your own), and all will be well.

That's the key. We are solely responsible for making it to the stage where we're too old and decrepit to ride a bike, and the fact that a significant proportion of other road users are twats is in our favour because it keeps us sharp in the same way the Taleban are such cunts to fight - they've been fighting all their lives, and usually with the odds stacked against them.

The fact that every day we face retards on the road means we constantly practice the techniques we need to stay alive to the point where they're instinctive, but I reckon 6 months of riding in a low risk environment would dull anyone's edge.

[rastuscat]

That's the key. We are solely responsible for making it to the stage where we're too old and decrepit to ride a bike, and the fact that a significant proportion of other road users are twats is in our favour because it keeps us sharp in the same way the Taleban are such cunts to fight - they've been fighting all their lives, and usually with the odds stacked against them.

The fact that every day we face retards on the road means we constantly practice the techniques we need to stay alive to the point where they're instinctive, but I reckon 6 months of riding in a low risk environment would dull anyone's edge.

Feel like giving you a big Rastuscat hug.

Must suppress that.

Cringe.

[FJRider]

... but I reckon 6 months of riding in a low risk environment would dull anyone's edge.

I disagree ... I was in rush hour traffic today. After the four cars and two trucks involved, turned off ... all was as per normal. No stress involved ...

[bikaholic]

In the last year (2011) the significant drop in the road toll (about 90 IIRC), as compared to 2010, the toll dropped in all districts except Wellington, and dropped across all 'groups' except motorcyclists aged between 40 - 59 year old.

So everyone wants to point the finger at every other group, but it is surprising in reality who the so called 'retards' actually are.
Given that the average age of a motorcylist male is 49 years, it would appear that bikers have to lift their game.