Fast or Safe 2

In my early years I identified drivers who were always on the edge and always assumed that they were brave or maybe stupid, and certainly destined to crash hard.  As time passed, I became witness to a number of “incidents” and even became one of those drivers that others assumed was always nearly out of control.  Recent query pushed me to consider this a little bit…

I considered that I have evolved into a very cautious and careful driver!

It’s not that simple, but if I generalize, there are… (A) Drivers who understand well where their limits are and are good at approaching but not exceeding them.  (B) Drivers who push themselves all the time limiting themselves by their own fears, and not by their understanding of limits.

Not that Driver A never crashes or loses control, but when he does, unless mechanical failure or extreme road hazard is experienced, he is mentally prepared to minimize the consequences of an excursion because he enters into difficulty with the understanding that he is already close to the edge.  Driver B however, believes that his limits are defined by something false (his fears, or the limits of other drivers/vehicles) and this false confidence gets him into big trouble.  Furthermore, when he realizes that a limit has been reached he usually doesn’t have the experience/skill to regain or maintain control simply because it has been a matter of incidence, and not intention, that has put him in similar situations in the past.

I’m really destined to crash now…