I don't know about you, but almost everyone I meet thinks they are a great driver. They brag about their skills, and even boast about how much better at driving they are, when under the influence of a substance than other people out there.
What makes a good driver? I remember in my 20s I thought I was the best driver in the world. Now that I'm in my forties, I don't consider myself good or bad, the fact that I can make it from one place to next and not die in either direction tells me that my driving skills are adequate. And I hope that when I do travel to and from destinations that I am not causing accidents from cutting off other drivers and driving like an ass.
After listening to stories form groups of people who claim to the very best drivers in the city, a thought occurred to me, maybe we have to tell ourselves that we are great drivers when we are younger to give us the confidence to get behind the wheel and know that we are not going to kill someone or ourselves.
That thought does have some logic to it, but it doesn't explain why someone would claim to be an excellent driver instead of simply a decent one. It could just be the normal exaggeration and over confidence of youth in general.
There are no perfect drivers out there, we all make or have made multiple mistakes on the road, do you signal every single time you turn, change lanes or go faster than the posted speed limit? No one is a perfect driver. I believe that, for the most part, most of us are terrible drivers and driving is a larger version of Russian roulette. Every time you get behind the wheel you run the risk of dying and even more so if you are not paying full attention.
It's not only yourself that you have to worry about, it's everybody else on the road that you have to worry about as well.
Scott Goerz
