Reading a post by my buddy Gelmo about backseat drivers, I am reminded of a revelation I had earlier this year.

No doubt you've heard the factoid that, when asked if they are a better-than-average driver, x% of respondents will claim that they are, where x is something much greater than 50. Assuming this is true, and not just a made-up urban-myth statistic, the irony is that many of them (x-50%, at least) must be wrong.

My epiphany is that maybe they're not wrong. In the supposed poll, the definition of "good driver" is never specified.

A certain person who is near and dear to me (but shall remain nameless) is an aggressive driver. She goes fast, changes lanes a lot, darts in front of other cars, frequently talks on the phone while driving, etc. I, on the other hand, tend to drive slowly, carefully watch the other cars around me, and often defer to other drivers even if they're being unreasonable.

If you were to ask this person, I have no doubt that she would say she is a better driver than me. She would say so based on the fact that her ability-related driving skills are superior to mine. And they are. She really is better than I am at maneuvering a car through traffic; she has a much greater capacity to multitask while driving; and her reaction time, though not as fast as she thinks it is, is surely faster than mine. If ever we were on some goofy reality TV show where contestants are asked to race through an obstacle course while talking on the phone, eating a burrito, and listening to loud music, she would be our team's favorite for that contest.

You can see where this is going. If you were to ask me, I would say that I'm the better driver, based on the fact that I am safer and more careful. I may be less able to multitask while driving, so I simply don't. I don't talk on the phone while driving, I don't tailgate, I rarely exceed the speed limit, etc. Any insurance company would consider me less likely to get in an accident.

Which of these skill sets represents better driver? Either definition is plausible. It's hardly surprising that more than 50% of drivers choose to value the skill which they are better at.

7:05:14 PM  [permalink]  comment []