Thread: Driving habits- what are yours?

I generally go about 5-10 miles per hour
over the speed limit, taking into consideration
my surroundings. Where I live there are way
too many stop signs, so I've mastered the rolling
stop. There are also way too many traffic
signals, but there isn't much you can do about that.

John

Oh yeah, I forgot to add that I've never been in or caused an accident. As far as insurance is concerned, I'm a perfect driver

i loged in over 4 million miles in a ten year driving job now i dont even care to drive to the store it is just one and half miles.

In general I drive way too fast for our roads but that is mostly under the speed limit. when on better roads I try to keep within 10MPH of the speed limit most of the time. but I work shift, so often have the roads to myself and I am then only limited buy the rev limiter.
The one limit I stick to is the 50kph/30mph in built up area's as the stats show that a pedestrian has a 90% chance of survival @ 30mph and 30,10,3% @ 40,50,60mph respectively. Wow!
So I keep under 30mph in case of surprise's and if there are peds about even slower.
I am YDOC and rospa trained and off road rallycross (speed without limits )
I have had no driving related tickets (yet) and one bad accident 20 years ago.

I drive over the speed limit quite frequently. then again, so does everyone else around here. You know when you've crossed the line into this town when the highway speed drops from 50 to 35. I'm not kidding. It's right at the line.

I take driving very seriously. There are too many idiots out there who can't count to four at an all-way stop in order to know when to go. They get to two, my turn, and rush out when I'm half way across the intersection. Or people who insist on driving the speed limit from 1952, but on the Interstate. Or there's no stop sign, but they stop -- for at least four seconds.

I could go on. But I won't.

When I step on the accelerator, I commit to moving forward the intended distance -- whether it's to the next signal (pending red light) or just across the first set of lanes to the median. I don't like it when people wait to brake until the last possible second. I don't. But I also hate creepers, who take forever slwoing down for a light, then coast at next to nothing for the final 30 yards or so. I pay close attention to turns. I take them too fast, but I take them tight. They're made to be hugged, not avoided. I prefer to be in the correct lane early, rather than cutting people off at the last possible second. A turning lane is meant to be merged into when it begins, not half its length.

The only way i can describe my driving is with contrary examples of others. But I think I make my point.

I drive according to road conditions, weather, traffic (including pedestrians), the limits of the vehicle I'm operating and visibility. In Ontario, the speed limits are so ridiculously low that it's almost always safe to routinely go 15-20mph over the limit. Generally speaking, the limits are more reasonable south of the border, especially as one heads west, so I rarely drove more than 10mph over the limit (usually at or around 5 over, while operating a lightly loaded Silverado).
What really annoys me while driving are people with no sense of lane-discipline. It's pandemic here, so I hate seeing Ontario plates when I go out of province. An Ontario driver is the one most likely to hog the passing lane, going side by side with a car in the right (or middle) lane. If I am passing slower traffic and see someone catching up to me in the passing lane, I find the first safe place to move over. Other drivers.. 1 in 10 if we're lucky. That's why I give them a honk as I'm passing them from the right (which is, thank God, legal here).
One other note about driving in Ontario. Signalling here is a lot different than in other parts of the world.. An Ontario driver will usually signal after he's made a lane change or turn or not at all. Some eager beavers will signal while changing lanes or turning. Signalling before making a turn is so unpopular here that you'd think it's illegal.

I go with the flow of traffic, I tend to pick a lane and stay in it. Above all I try to be as courteous as possible to other drivers. I will say that those that try to change lanes without signalling won't get a buffer from me, but if they do signal I slow down to make room for them. There's a reason the DMV makes sure that you use the signals properly, please do so.

Granted, I also make sure and leave so tat I can get to my destination well ahead of time.

I think first and foremost, being a cooperative driver is most important. Everyone is trying to go somewhere and everyone is comfortable at different speeds and different conditions and I think we all owe it to each other to work together on the roads. If someone behind me is moving up on me, I feel the right thing to do is either speed up or find a way to let him by. I drive pretty fast, so I'm usually in the "fast" lane, but if someone wants to go faster than I do, he shouldn't have to pass me on the right.

If there's a sign that the lanes are merging ahead due to construction or any other reason, everyone is supposed to merge and that means trying to get over early and letting others in early. It doesn't mean using the cleared out lane to speed up and go as far as you can and then force yourself in front of some sucker. If everyone thought like I did, archeologists would find the bleached out bones of that SOB inside the remains of his rusted out car right there because he'd never get over after pulling that stunt.

In heavy commute traffic, I don't mind if someone finds room in front of me to pull into my lane and does so. But I wish I drove a hummer for the sake of those guys that pull in front of you WITHOUT enough space, forcing you to hit the brakes in order to avoid mixing paint with them.

I never knowingly break the speed limit. If I see that I am going a bit faster, I will slow down. If that pisses the guy behind me off, I shift right. I guess I'm just not in enough of a hurry to speed.

Not that it really matters, I commute to Dallas every morning, if I'm doing 30mph it feels like being in a racecar much of the time, I'm moving so slowly my speedometer does not register movement.


Most of the speed limits here in Texas are reasonable, I really don't think there is ever a legitimate need for breaking them. (given the traffic in dfw, there usually isn't even the opportunity to break them) If you have to speed to get there on time, you left late.