RobinXe wrote:
gopher wrote:
I think these two really sum it up for me. I sort of reduce it to "I know I'm driving too fast when I'm out of my comfort zone"
May not work for everybody as some people are more or less risk adverse than me. (obviously)
I agree wholeheartedly, and you highlight a very pertinent point. Comfort zone does not automatically equal safe speed, and it is very much down to driver experience, and attitude, how much the two overlap.
Yes, true, but hold on one very important second...
In an experienced driver there's been a feedback loop acting to calibrate his speed sense for however many years he's been gathering experience. This process must end up verging on perfect for most of us because we demonstrably get it right - crashes are rare, and crashes due to inappropriate speed rarer still.
So instead of being concerned that 'normal drivers' are getting it wrong, we need to be concerned about two groups:
- Those that don't notice the risk. Mostly they will be inexperienced, rushing into danger without having the experience to know that it's happening.
- Those that don't mind (or even enjoy) the risk. These would be the nutters, the thrill seekers and so on.
When the inexperienced or the nutters have crashes that should NEVER inform the debate about the behaviour of the rest of us.