What's your driving style?

And what car do you drive?

I’m always the first to point out the pitfalls of confirmation bias yet have recently fallen foul of quite a few stereotypes (latest being a suit in an approaching black Discovery – slamming it without warning to cut in front of us to make his right turn on a 40 approach, just missing us as I slammed brakes – I blasted the horn, he blasted back. He didn’t get hurt, my wife did, ie being lurched about with existing injuries. Total impotent road rage on my part as then stuck in traffic as he breezed off blasting his horn.

Similar instances with Audi/BMW drivers over this last year have made me question the confirmation bias thing. No doubt they see our little Panda going bang on the speed limit, rarely overtaking, and this confirms their bias. They can **** ***, since when does ‘making progress’ mean ‘me fast/expensive car = me first’?

Please driverists – confirm/destroy my developing biases 😉

Fast and always ‘making progress’.

Vectra.

Driving for +30 years, no accidents etc in the last 30 years.

Sounds like a little more anticipation required.. if you assume everyone will do something stupid then you’ll find it much less surprising and much less stressful.

Lesgrandepotato who drives broadly the same in a Mini, Vee Dub or a big black Merc

Do you seriously think people are out to get you because you drive a Panda?

Awesome to the power of amazing…

…at one with my machine – cornering in perfect harmony with the road, tyres protesting near the limit of grip, but always safe and controlled.

Faster than Lewis Hamilton, better round the corners than a Swedish rally driver, women (and a few men) swoon as I stylishly slide past sideways, one hand on the wheel, the other casually adjusting my hair in the mirror..

Renault Scenic 1.6 (or simply “the beast” as it’s called. By nobody. Ever.)

‘pressing on’

Sometimes I drive like an aggressive ****, sometime like a vicar, depends on my mood.

Golf GTi, Touran & black cab.

Honda Civic. Driving style = like I got Miss Daisy in the back.

T5 kombi van. No mods.
I just drive from A-B. I don’t ‘make progress’, nor do I intentionally pootle. Usually about the speed limit or lower pending road conditions.

As a vehicle, it doesn’t encourage knob-end driving. The opposite I think. You are higher, better view of everything, so can make decisions earlier.

hold on, this is stw. I AM Ken Block and my Hoonivan destroys the roads. Makes them come alive in-fact 😉

Do you seriously think people are out to get you because you drive a Panda?

I deliberately aim for them. I assumed everyone did.

Fast and always ‘making progress’.

Vectra.

Driving for +30 years, no accidents etc in the last 30 years.

My Aunt’s partner drives one of these and is very similar. He is quite old now and his concentration/sharpness of decades ago have gone so hes literally a timebomb/accident.

I drive a Subaru Forester. I’d say my driving style is smooth- minimal use of brakes, anticipate and lift off and/or gear down etc- this is on the motorway and A or B roads too. I don’t do shoved into the seat acceleration then brakes. Its more smooth off/etc.

Must be said when was driving a 523i for a few years, the massive confidence it inspired did eventually put me in an increasingly avaricious overtake mode. It’s like a magic wand. And by wand I mean d***.

Now I drive mostly to get a fragile passenger from A to B safely, and in a car that does not inspire overtaking – I get two perspectives. Trying hard to think what use this is in the real world on single carriageways.

Do you seriously think people are out to get you because you drive a Panda?

Let me think about that. No I don’t. I think certain drivers don’t like being behind a car that is doing the speed limit and is unlikely to corner as fast as they can.

No Quarter!

Surfmatt….only betterer.

Very little driving in my life but own a silly little Clio 197 Renaultsport. The manufacturers of which would probably be depressed how conservatively it is driven most of the time. The only ‘adventure’ it has is the occasional sharp overtake 200bhp in a little car makes possible (great on the A9).

Surfmatt….only betterer.

*feels some awe*

blindfolded–with my dog to guide me—

Car – SMax.

Style – Strangely erotic.

All car modifications are related to performance, not style….

torsoinalake – Member

Do you seriously think people are out to get you because you drive a Panda?

Dunno if there’s anything in it but whenever I used to drive my Wife’s Ka to work, I would get cut up a lot more than in my usual car. People seem to see the car and think “small car = slow & doddery I shall do as I please”, even though I was driving at the same speed & manner as I normally would.

Regarding the OP, car is an 03 Ibiza TDi. I would say my driving style is fairly steady & courteous, but my wife would probably disagree.
I rarely break speed limits & try to be courteous to other road users; always using indicators where appropriate, letting people out of junctions etc. but I am prone to getting easily narked if someone drives like a dick & barges there way into gaps that don’t really exist etc. which ends up with me getting pretty stressed.

A few weeks ago, I’d had enough of being courteous & always making sure I was in the correct lane with plenty of time before exit slip roads, not pulling onto roundabouts at the last minute etc. On my daily commute it seems to be ‘sod everyone else, I am going to do what I want’ so I decided to try it for a while. It was horrible. While I could cope with the driving style necessary to carve other people up, I felt horrible about it. Lasted about 5 miles before thinking ‘sod that, I’ll let them get on with it & carry on as I was’…..

since when does ‘making progress’ mean ‘me fast/expensive car = me first’?

Regarding this comment – these driver’s don’t seem to realise that just because they have fast/expensive cars they still need the same amount of space to manoeuvre in as other cars. The amount of times I see people hoof it up the outside of a queue & rely on other people’s good nature to give them space to pull in at the last minute. Morons.

Fast when I’m alone in the car on open, empty country roads.

Slower and with smoothness and consideration when I have passengers.

Extremely cautiously in built-up areas.

I recently got my first automatic car, a B8 Passat estate with DSG and I’m amazed at how much more relaxed it has made me, especially in heavy traffic. I’m happy to pootle along in the knowledge that if I do want some power, it’s there in ample amounts at the press of the pedal.

Best driver evar, angry like someone’s just told me I’m not getting pudding! 😡 and all this is a Clio 182 (with recently added bigger spoiler ftw) so everyone’s expecting an 18 year old chav/ned in the driver seat – luckily I only look 17.

Like a nun when my bikes on the roof Civic , when on my own a little bit more hasty ,and when driving The Daf 55 with 300 bhp at work again no quarter no prisoners, even better fun in the wet diff locks on roundabout shocked faces as drift city

I drive like my hair is on fire, everyone else on the road is stupid & gets in my way on purpose as they are envious of my super fast….

😳 9 year old Jap mid range estate car 😳

In all honesty I’m Mr Normal, sometimes I drive too fast, sometimes I don’t pay as much attention as I should. No points & 19 years NCD though.

There is an element of truth to the BMW/Audi cocklobster drivers though but even then its model specific the smaller end of each range are usually the worst IME.

Do you seriously think people are out to get you because you drive a Panda?

Yes, strange how people become fixated on the car brand/cost thing. I don’t get it.

lol @ edlong. I once attended a driving event. I was just another person in a group of people who didn’t know each other.
When I returned from my lap, there was applause.
Not sure if I’ve ever felt more uncomfortable/embarrased in my life!
I know they meant well, but it wasn’t nice, albeit a kind gesture.

Cars: Audis
‘Style’: (whatever that is) Varies between Rapid to crawl.

I appear to be lucky as I see most stuff before it happens and ‘adjust’.

If I may. Driving along at the designated speed or to the limits of the prevailing conditions.
Shouldn’t automatically relieve you of your obligation to remain constantly aware of whats happening around you.
imo.

Purely driving by the numbers fails to make one a good driver. In the same fashion that painting by numbers doesn’t make you a master artist.

Slow cruise, judgmental, irritated. Fast only when I need to get away from ****/morons.

Passat – was the same in previous cars, which have all been different, more relaxed now I have auto.

Only consistently shite drivers are Discovery/Evoque and women Mini drivers. Even then, not all of them.

And! I! Use! My! Indicators!! (in a very small minority round here)

think “small car = slow & doddery I shall do as I please, even though I was driving at the same speed & manner as I normally would.

Yes, I see small cars piloted by the elderly, slow and doddery all the time (this is Malvern), I’m not elderly (40’s) or slow and doddery but in addition to the execs/nobs there are as many dodderers here who do exactly as they like/totally unexpected stops/manouevres. Argh!!! It’s sometimes a challenge to be courteous, and I do see the attraction of treating every journey like a sport, when in Rome etc..but no. Middle way!

If I may. Driving along at the designated speed or to the limits of the prevailing conditions.
Shouldn’t automatically relieve you of your obligation to remain constantly aware of whats happening around you.
imo.

No sh*t! And signalling from other drivers helps this process. (By signalling I mean using indicators)

Dunno if there’s anything in it but whenever I used to drive my Wife’s Ka to work, I would get cut up a lot more than in my usual car.

Or is that your confirmation bias kicking in?

Dunno if there’s anything in it but whenever I used to drive my Wife’s Ka to work I would get cut up a lot more

If the Ka driver who carved past me in some single-file roadworks on my ride yesterday was anything to go by, there’s a definite food chain, and we’re right at the bottom. Not exactly conforming to the doddery, slow stereotype there.

I drive a Focus. Boringly. As I get older, I increasingly realise that boring=good driving.

You do tend to anticipate cockish driving based on the make and model. Prime examples around here are modern pickups, black Discos or Range Rovers, and of course, the Audi tailgater.

I am a dull driver. I’ve been driving a long time, done a lot of miles and am now waaaay past going fast. I can however spot someone doing stupid or about to do something stupid from quite a distance.

I tend to pootle around at the speed limited, sometimes below if conditions dictate. I like to warm the car up before any hard accelerations and also like to brake as gently as I can. I like to be smooth and maintain momentum, my wife accuses me of driving like I’m riding a bike as I try not to stop byt rolling up to lights etc. Basically, I am a pain in the derringer to the drivers above who like to “make progress”.

I drive either a VW Golf (work car) or a Nissan Micra (wife’s car).

I increasingly find myself frustrated by people who insist on driving at 40, or 50 in a national zone. There are a few roads round here where it happens far too regularly. However, I’ll only ‘make progress’ when safe to. I even overtook a car in town the other day, on a 30 mph road, they were sat 20, so I overtook and I didn’t exceed 30. It was very odd.

I grew up with an angry driver as my example of driving, I learnt a lot of horrible lessons with him in the car. I’ve spent years drilling these bad examples out of me, and these days I am a much calmer driver, I like to watch the road, anticipate stupid behaviour and generally try not to be a d*ck. It’s made me a much more relaxed person in general.

I tend to find commuting mostly by bike also helps.

fairly sedate, never speed intentionally, quite attentive, courteous although occasionally lose a bit of concentration particularly if kids are in car.

I’d say that sums mine up, regardless of whether I am driving my wife’s Kia Soul (not often, usually just to the garage for petrol…. 🙂 ) or my Company Car (BMW Estate)

I really enjoy driving and ‘making progress’. My last few cars have been reasonably quick family wagons but I categorically don’t drive like a dick. Motorways were 75, maybe 80 if getting past something rather than the idiots who sit in the outside lane at 90+.

That changed when I got rid of my BMW and got a lowered VW T5 (soon to be a lot lower) and now I’m happy to pootle everywhere in my big captains chair. 65 on motorways is so relaxing! Wish I’d realised that sooner.

Got a little Polo GTi as well which is a great little go-kart. Had two of these now and 3 mk1 MX5s and they’re very similar IMHO. Not quick by any means but really good fun to drive.

I drive an ageing 306 diesel estate, I will let you guess what my driving style is.

My style? The art of driving without driving. (Show me shum)

I increasingly find myself frustrated by people who insist on driving at 40, or 50 in a national zone.

Boring driver here too (VW Touran), but the 40mph wonders can be a pain. Have to appreciate most are just enjoying the views here in Snowdonia, but, but, but!

XC60 and drive like a tosser, but you’ve already made you mind up as to how I drive so no real point in saying anything more is there..? I’ve another car too (not telling you lot what it is) and I actually drive both like a slow old man wearing grandmas slippers (no, I do honestly drive really slow).

😀

Oh, reading the other posts. Bit more on style.
generally courteous, use my indicators (sooo many people seem not these days)

Recently I’ve been using the big roads, DCs, and while to my frustration on the grounds of safety, I see roadies on the DC, I always hang back if in lane 2 to allow the vehicle in lane 1 to use lane 2 to overtake the roadie.

Also make a point of holding back, crawl along behind a cyclist until I can use the other side of the road. I hate close passing cars/vans and wont do that to other cyclists.

I increasingly find myself frustrated by people who insist on driving at 40, or 50 in a national zone

Why?

I’m heading in the opposite direction to you, so to speak. I used to get frustrated by it, now I realise that even if I ‘made progress’ past this car, I’d probably save a matter of a minute or so at most, or just come up behind the next slower car half a mile up the road. Frustration is just another way of saying that you get angry at other road users, and that just wasn’t a healthy way for me to approach driving.

Everyone else is an idiot on the road and im not going to be their victim.