Interesting piece on the BBC website. Most will recognise themselves in it...
Great article and a massive psychological blind spot for a lot of people. I did some stuff on this during my degree and I doubt things have improved.
If you want to be good and stay good at something you have to reflect and learn from errors. It's something my regulator encourages and I try to apply to most areas of life (driving included).
I had a shock when I started my current job. I went from doing 5000 to 35000 miles a year (thankfully now less!). An advanced driver mate pulled me up on some awful habits on a road trip, gave me a copy of Roadcraft and some tips. That book and my desire to do better and not end up in a ditch was game changing.
Most people never get challenged and react very badly when they are. I think I was lucky to have that kind of friendship and not suffer from a driving god complex at just the right time.
For a few years, part of my job was taxiing cyclists round the Highlands. It certainly made me a lot more aware of my driving skills (or lack thereof) so I made a huge effort to concentrate on driving more fully (and better apply some of the advanced driving techniques I was taught). I feel it's made a difference but it's also made we even more aware of bad driving in others, even things like how much gap folk leave.
The last factor is a key entry point for psychology. "A lot of road safety issues, including DUI [drinking under the influence]
Freudian slip there🙄
I got done for speeding twice in a short period of time a number of years ago. Made a conscious effort to correct the 'making progress at all costs' mentality (was driving like an impatient cock on A-roads etc), and get satisfaction from things like early hazard perception and smoothness rather than speed (although I haven't noticed any longer journey times, which tells you something).
Car-brain is a real thing for sure.
After spending a few years driving like a bit of a dick (not agressive, but certainly not patient) I decided to start obeying the speed limits more carefully and generally be a more courteous driver. When we got a car with speed limiter I started using that all the time.
But here's the thing - I would always press the limiter a couple of mph over the limit so the GPS speed rather than speedo speed would match the limit. This almost certainly had no effect on my journey times (or even perhaps much difference in safety) so why did I bother? Because I still felt I had the right to travel everywhere at MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SPEED. Car-brained.
It's not just the 'making progress' types.
A middle aged woman was complaining that not everyone waves 'thanks' when she stops for them at zebra crossings. I pointed out to her that she didn't expect people in cars to wave thanks when she stopped at a junction or a roundabout and so maybe she had a sense of entitlement on the road.
She said, 'I don't have a sense of entitlement, I'm the slowest driver I know.'
This is the headmistress of a local school. Christ knows what she says when it's time to explain road safety to the kids.
It's about time that people moderated their driving style and speed. Every time I go out on my gravel or road bike I either am subjected to some very dodgy driving or see some.
Most drivers try to play nicely but there are enough idiots to make life miserable.
I don't feel safe walking or cycling along minor roads and it's getting worse as cars suffer from car bloat and get more and powerful.
I often wonder why we keep having threads on the forum like which car for spirited driving and what powerful estate car.
Cars need to be seen as a potentialy dangerous means of transport and driven very carefully at an appropriate speed.
I often wonder why we keep having threads on the forum like which car for spirited driving and what powerful estate car.
Because cycling can be an exciting sport where you go fast and "send" it.
Enduro, downhill and influence of e bikes in certain groups and drive to the trail head / ride detaches MTB from being on the road and attracts people who like a thrill/excitement.
Going full send when driving can be fun for similar reasons. That doesn't make it right but it is true.
If you're not a roadie and you don't utility cycle the potential for cross over is (I suspect) higher. Also the very over-judge of ability in the article. I'm a driving god so I can go faster than everyone else mentality and not have crashes is strong.
And of course people on here aren't immune to marketing BS and tedious jobs where their repetitive desk jockey existence might just be brightened up by crawling through traffic in a Ferrari instead of a Fabia. 😜😛
Last slightly tongue in cheek because a quick car can be really nice at normal speeds and if doing big mileages.