What is a "good" driver?

[firefighter]

Him .. pick him ... he reckons he's a good driver ..

I'm glad that blatant piss-take did'nt escape anyone.....

[p.dath]

Checklist? Here are some ideas...

How often do I check my rear view mirror?
Do I indicate every time I go through a roundabout?
Do I clean my windscreen when it is dirty/frosty, or just rely on the wipers once I am already driving?
Do I understand and use the 2 second rule?

Also consider other non-skills areas. Is someone that is temporarily mentally impaired (such as drugs, alcohol) a good driver? What about someone permanently mentally impaired (such as dementia)? What about the speed of the reflexes of the driver?

We have left and right brain people. Does a good driver process information conceptually or analytically?

Is a good driver able to cope with distraction? How much? How about the ability to process multiple threats simultaneously? How many?

When you start thinking about what a "good" driver "should" be, it encompasses a lot of things.

[p.dath]

Does a good driver try to improve their education by continuing to train to be a better driver? By learning about new technology? By practising with new technology?

What about other road users? Does a good "driver" train in other licence classes so as to understand the threats from other road users perspective?

Does a good driver have medical skills to assist at accidents?

Is a good driver someone who is "well" (as in not sick)?

What about attitude? Is a good driver calm or aggressive?

[Drunken Monkey]

A good driver applies full attention to the driving task. Has good mechanical skills to operate the equipment and is situationally aware of both his/her own vehicle and other road users and hazards in the environment.

Semantics of course, but I would say for me this defines a good motorist, as opposed to a good driver. They aren't always the same thing. Just how I see it, anyway.

[Smifffy]

IMO A good driver is a lot like the OSH idea for safe workers:

Someone that causes no harm or material damage to themselves or others, through either their actions or their inactions.

[EJK]

Give way

[James Deuce]

You're better off asking what makes a bad driver. Process of elimination and all that.

[neels]

You're better off asking what makes a bad driver.

The guy I saw on the way home from work tonight that turned left from the right turning lane (with no lane to go into) and cleaned up a cyclist.

Or the bloke I know that I followed for about 10k's the other day driving at either 15kph under or 15kph over the limit (65kph regardless of the speed limit), oblivious to me when I pulled up at the lights beside him and waved.

But defining a 'good' driver is almost impossible, all you can really do is identify common bad driving habits and try and somehow correct them. Good luck with that.

[Gremlin]

A good driver applies full attention to the driving task. Has good mechanical skills to operate the equipment and is situationally aware of both his/her own vehicle and other road users and hazards in the environment.

wot e sed... then you weren't happy...

hmmm... checklist...

- not distracted by objects in car (makeup, food, phones)
- scanning their environment for potential hazards and adjusting their driving to suit
- not holding up other drivers when the road in front is clear (travelling under the speed limit for no reason, accelerating so slowly that they never come close to the speed limit before slowing for the next traffic light etc)
- following the road rules (sounds easy... barely done in practise... indicating at roundabouts, lane changes etc etc)
- letting other drivers in, when in heavy traffic, from side roads (contrary to the seemingly popular belief, this does actually make traffic flow faster)
- able to control their cars at variable speeds and conditions. It amazes me how many have the cars driving them.
- a little bit of patience... just a little, coz asking for a lot wouldn't happen... probably guilty of it myself.

[SMOKEU]

Someone who knows how to peel a mean skid, do a mad handbrakie and can hold a sick drift.

[p.dath]

You're better off asking what makes a bad driver. Process of elimination and all that.

I want to focus on positive outcomes, as in what to do, not negative outcomes, as in not what to do.

For example, I want to avoid arguments that measure how "good" a driver is by how many tickets they get; by how many km/h that they drive over the limit, etc. My personal opinion is that focusing on these metrics (which we tend to do through our current enforcement system) wont make "good" drivers.

[Scuba_Steve]

What makes a good driver???... Common sense!

[Laxi]

one that stays the fuck of my roads ( I own em all btw)

[Okey Dokey]

Also consider other non-skills areas. Is someone that is temporarily mentally impaired (such as drugs, alcohol) a good driver? What about someone permanently mentally impaired (such as dementia)? What about the speed of the reflexes of the driver?

We have left and right brain people. Does a good driver process information conceptually or analytically?

Is a good driver able to cope with distraction? How much? How about the ability to process multiple threats simultaneously? How many?

When you start thinking about what a "good" driver "should" be, it encompasses a lot of things.

Jeez, I had exam questions in University that were easier than this!

[cbfb]

That's a good start, but I want something more like a checklist that a person can read and say, yes I do that, no I don't do that, so I'm a 2 star driver, 5 star driver, etc.

Something measurable. The problem with general concepts is that people can full themselves into believing they are "good".

Too true. Asking someone if they're a good driver is like asking them if they're good in bed.

With that in mind, I think one of the key elements of being a good driver (and rider) is recognising that you're not infallible and have plenty to learn regardless of age/experience.

I would add that a good driver is aware of the potentially horrific consequences of them making a mistake. Just a second's inattention could ruin or end lives. EVERYONE who's had a licence longer than 5 minutes has made some sort of error of judgement on the road and most get away with it; for the unlucky few it can be deadly. This awareness makes me at least think twice about speeding, tailgaiting, etc.

Finally - you might want to differentiate between a technically good driver (i.e. someone who could perform on the race track) and a 'safe' driver suited to road driving. Unfortunately a lot of people have the two very confused.