[Gmac]

There are plenty of guys who think they're good drivers when they are not.

How many of you are as fucking amazing as I am and you know it?

By that I mean...

*Your confidence on the road is unmatched
*You know what is going on around you at all times and rarely ever get into an accident because of it
*You always know the fastest route and at least one alternate
*You know where you're going, how you're going to get there, how long it's going to be, and what back up roads to take in case of traffic
*You parallel park with ease (two moves, most of the time)
*You speed but rarely (if ever) get pulled over
*You don't take unnecessary risks, but when you do make a bold move it pays off
*You're aggressive and calculated, not reckless or careless
*You pass slow drivers with ease (on the left or right)
*You understand traffic patterns (including other people's driving behaviors) and know that the best lane to be in isn't always the "fast lane"
*You can drive a stick just as well as an automatic
*If you jumped in a new car, you could figure out how to operate it within 20 seconds (and master it within 15 minutes)
*You aren't the two-foot tailgater OR the constant break slammer
*You know how to get yourself out of a tricky or near-accident situation (i.e. icy patches, hydroplaning, other driver's errors, etc.)

I have a feeling there will be a lot more of these in this forum for some reason. Just a hunch.

[Aliblahba]

I've been professionally trained through a law enforcement agency years back. Got an "A" cdl too, but have never driven a semi. It tightened up my skill, and gave the knowledge not to get tickets. I can put a Harley into a power slide, white line effectively, ect. I learned to drive on a manual xmission on the parkway. I'm not an aggressive driver though. The way people drive these day you have to be defensive.

Part of my profession is to train military on how to operate large pieces of advanced wheeled vehicles, that are prone to rollover.

Lost my license 2x in my youth, but was able to switch states. Got a DUI this year, but kept my license due to putting lots of money into the judicial system. I deserved it though. Do something stupid a thousand times you're bound to get caught. I had that one coming. Lesson learned.

But yeah, I'm a badass driver.

[Riker]

There's a funny saying about poker....... its like sex and driving, everyone thinks they are better than average.

[Pete]

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*Your confidence on the road is unmatched

Check

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You know what is going on around you at all times and rarely ever get into an accident because of it

This is very important. I'm always looking through the mirrors and to the sides of the car and I ALWAYS look to the side of the car before changing lanes. That's one of the things that makes the difference.

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You always know the fastest route and at least one alternate

Check

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You know where you're going, how you're going to get there, how long it's going to be, and what back up roads to take in case of traffic

Check

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You parallel park with ease (two moves, most of the time)

Check. And it's very surprising how people can get a license without knowing how to parallel park! I think that should be an essential part of getting the license.

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You speed but rarely (if ever) get pulled over

I got pulled over regularly when I started driving. Once I gained experience and a radar detector it got more rare. I mean, it's not only that. I use the same routes most days and I've used them at different times. I already know where the police "hangs out" or hides to punch you in the radar. It's just a matter of slowing down in those places. At night, just knowing how the "Dodge Charger" or "Crown Marquis" headlights or tailights look in the mirror is enough to detect them.

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You don't take unnecessary risks, but when you do make a bold move it pays off

Check. This is important too. If you're changing lanes and stuff you should really make sure there's space for you and that there aren't any cars behind you coming faster in the lane you want to.

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You're aggressive and calculated, not reckless or careless

Again, just a matter of being careful and alert.

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You pass slow drivers with ease (on the left or right)

Check

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You understand traffic patterns (including other people's driving behaviors) and know that the best lane to be in isn't always the "fast lane"

I've learned this with experience. It sometimes may seem that a lane is moving faster , just to slow down later. Most of the time the slower lane is moving faster. It's infuriating when I'm driving at 90mph and a dumbass is going on the left lane at 50mph when the max speed is 65mph. Even though the law says the left lane is only to pass another vehicle.

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You can drive a stick just as well as an automatic

I learned to drive on a manual transmission, and my first 2 cars were manual. Actually I kinda prefer it.

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*If you jumped in a new car, you could figure out how to operate it within 20 seconds (and master it within 15 minutes)

Check

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You aren't the two-foot tailgater OR the constant break slammer

Rarely, but sometimes people, as I said before, drive at 40 in the 65 lane.

(09-07-2011 07:48 AM)Gmac Wrote:  

*You know how to get yourself out of a tricky or near-accident situation (i.e. icy patches, hydroplaning, other driver's errors, etc.)

Last week, a driver merged into the highway without checking that a truck (in my right side) was coming through that lane. The truck (to avoid hitting the car) hits the brakes and starts spinning and losing control. In front of me there's a toyota sequoia and I notice that something is going to happen so I hit the brakes. Suddenly the truck hits the sequoia and the sequoia goes flying and ends up face down at the other side of the highway. I think someone died there. I'm not quite sure. I just called 911 and went on my way as I was late for uni class. I was nervous as fuck too. I thought I was gon' die.

[el mechanico]

When I was in High school we had a huge muscle car culture. Even the some nerdy kids were rolling in big block Chevelles. Drag racing and drinking were a nightly thing.The fastest car got the pussy back in those days.
After I started working for a vintage race prep shop and Got my VSCCA and SVRA certs.That job took me to every racetrack on the east coast every weekend for years(sausagefest).
The guy I worked for was very cool about us driving the cars on the road and track which was a benefit of working for him. He would have 50 race cars for sale at all times and part of my job was picking up Rich Japanese guys from the airport and helping them through the process of becoming a vintage racer.

We started building dragbikes at 16 and when the Gsxr 1100 came out that culture went off the charts. We would race for cash on the Route 8 connector in Bridgeport CT and guys from NYC would be there with vans full of bikes to lose their hard earned drug money which they were never happy about.
Hiding air shifters and Nitrous bottles became a way to make cash fast so we opened a bike shop when I was about 21 and my crew all decided to go to Superbike school in Loudin NH and then started Road racing.
I ran in the 600 class on a FZ some of my friends went pro.
We would ride around getting trashed and picking up girls all summer while getting chased around by the cops from city to township which started my love of adrenaline on the road.
The 80s were a wonderful time.The town cops where I lived didn't know what weed was and didn't have a breathalyzer.
Still to this day I drive a car that will smoke any police interceptor.

[hoops330]

You didn't mention being able to drive a trailer. I don't mean a semi but could be something like a boat or a trailer for hauling things. A real man should know how to maneuver a trailer without jack-knifing and 20 manuevers to back it up.

[Aliblahba]

(09-07-2011 11:12 AM)hoops330 Wrote:  

You didn't mention being able to drive a trailer. I don't mean a semi but could be something like a boat or a trailer for hauling things. A real man should know how to maneuver a trailer without jack-knifing and 20 manuevers to back it up.

Dad taught me and my bro on how to back a bass boat. Jacknife was never an issue. And the responsibility if someone went overboard. Think Fontana, and the movie The Fugitive.

For the record. I fear the ocean.

[Andreas]

My sense of direction sucks badly. Any suggestions?

[Gmac]

(09-07-2011 05:38 PM)Andreas Wrote:  

My sense of direction sucks badly. Any suggestions?

You can learn the main streets, neighborhoods, landmarks, and/or quadrants in your city so that you always know which way is north/south/east/west. That, or use the sun (east in the morning, west in the afternoon).

For example, Washington D.C. is broken up into 4 quadrants (NW/NE/SW/SE). When I first moved here, I had no clue where I was or how to navigate anywhere. Over time, I learned where the main bridges, hubs, buildings, and metro stops were. I realized that the streets are numbered for a reason and which way they go. In DC, all of the streets start at 1 and/or A near the mall/capitol area and go outward in all directions -- each quadrant has a 7th and G street, for example... though technically, NW and SW start at C).

Every city is different. If you're in the country, understanding which direction the road is going and being able to visualize the map in your head always works for me.

Aside from that, there's always smartphones and apps for everything. I've lost track of my car after a long night of drinking many times before. Never again, there's a car locator app that lets you save your location on a map before you leave after parking.

Sometimes it takes some extra discipline and practice. If you're always forgetting where you parked your car, try to make a mental note (or write it down) next time before you leave, and it should get easier over time.

Today, I could wake up anywhere in the city and be able to find my way back home or to the nearest metro without assistance (except maybe in some really ghetto parts of SE/NE ).

[Tuthmosis]

[Andreas]

(09-07-2011 05:55 PM)Gmac Wrote:  

(09-07-2011 05:38 PM)Andreas Wrote:  

My sense of direction sucks badly. Any suggestions?

You can learn the main streets, neighborhoods, landmarks, and/or quadrants in your city so that you always know which way is north/south/east/west. That, or use the sun (east in the morning, west in the afternoon).

For example, Washington D.C. is broken up into 4 quadrants (NW/NE/SW/SE). When I first moved here, I had no clue where I was or how to navigate anywhere. Over time, I learned where the main bridges, hubs, buildings, and metro stops were. I realized that the streets are numbered for a reason and which way they go. In DC, all of the streets start at 1 and/or A near the mall/capitol area and go outward in all directions -- each quadrant has a 7th and G street, for example... though technically, NW and SW start at C).

Every city is different. If you're in the country, understanding which direction the road is going and being able to visualize the map in your head always works for me.

Aside from that, there's always smartphones and apps for everything. I've lost track of my car after a long night of drinking many times before. Never again, there's a car locator app that lets you save your location on a map before you leave after parking.

Sometimes it takes some extra discipline and practice. If you're always forgetting where you parked your car, try to make a mental note (or write it down) next time before you leave, and it should get easier over time.

Today, I could wake up anywhere in the city and be able to find my way back home or to the nearest metro without assistance (except maybe in some really ghetto parts of SE/NE ).

The problem is that its easier for me to memorise roads by going through many times. If someone tries to explain me go to this shop or near this guy's house i get lost easilly. When i want to go somewhere i dont want to remeber that the place i want to go is between this and that or on the [add complicated name] street. I just want to be able to follow a route that will take me there. I think i will buy a GPS anyway because i dont think i will survive without it

[Stitch]

Yeah, I don't have a native "sense of direction"--I can remember paths I have taken very well but couldn't draw them on a map to get a sense of how they are spatially laid out (which is interesting because I do well on similar paths). This actually must be based on purely visual cues; years ago I watched someone playing a first-person video game I'd played a few years prior and could navigate to various places the same way, by remembering paths.

As for driving, I'm middle-of-the-road. I have good situational awareness (ex-pilot), enjoy learning the limits of my vehicle, have gone through a few classes, etc. I handle a car well. But I'm just a good driver, not a bad-ass one.

[hoops330]

People lack a sense of direction because we are so reliant on GPS systems. You have to drive without GPS to learn a city or directions.

[Screwston]

I'm good, not great. I think anyone who grows up in a big car city is going to be decent unless they stay in the right lane and drive like a grandma everywhere they go.

I don't know how y'all don't know your own cities?! We have freeways everywhere down here and ill look for the nearest freeway and go from there. (Ex. Oh I'm off of 290 and the beltway so i m on the northwest). Either that or look for a road that I recognize and go from there. But, I also was driving around town before all this GPS shit came around.

[DTA]

I think I'm pretty awesome. Driving through Philly everyday to get to work really tests your driving abilities

My only downside is that I have no idea how to drive stick. I'm dying to learn, but have yet to find someone to let me guinea pig their car.

[tenderman100]

(09-08-2011 05:38 PM)DTA Wrote:  

I think I'm pretty awesome. Driving through Philly everyday to get to work really tests your driving abilities

My only downside is that I have no idea how to drive stick. I'm dying to learn, but have yet to find someone to let me guinea pig their car.

I am from Philadelphia and I know what you mean. The Schuylkill expressway and Valley Forge expressway are roads that demand complete attention.

However, there's nothing like driving into Chicago from Indiana late on a Saturday night, up the Dan Ryan, through the Loop, and onto the Kennedy,and then the Edens. Lots of traffic, but it's really moving. Many lanes, then a few, then many lanes. I've driven in England, Europe, in many big cities in the states (LA, NYC, Cleveland, Indy, Houston, Dallas, SF, among others), and that particular Chicago drive, at that time of night, is the most stressful I have experienced.

[el mechanico]

See if you can watch this without moving your head and shoulders if you can't you are probably a good driver.