Which Type of Driver Are You?

As soon as a person sits behind the wheel of a car for the first time, they start to develop their own set of driving habits. Once they have passed their driving test and are no longer sitting with a driving instructor, these habits can often become bad habits that are now no longer corrected.

Bad Habits Soon Become Engrained

Over time, the personality of a driver starts to overtake their acquired learning and that’s when a particularly ‘type’ of driver becomes unleashed on the general public!

Most of us would consider ourselves to be safe, considerate drivers, although we can all spot some of the bad habits or personality types that can frustrate or antagonize us on the road.

Which Driver Type are You?

Some of the worst driver types are listed below and hopefully, dear reader, you won’t fit into any of these categories, none of which are particularly complimentary or worthy of being emulated.

The Boy Racer

Our first driver is probably the most notorious. Young males have a terrible reputation for, after just passing their driving test, causing mayhem on UK roads. Many feel the urge to kit out their car with alloy wheels, a spoiler and a booming sound system, to be played at the highest volume possible.

Bad habits include accelerating too sharply, applying their brakes far too late around corners to make their tyres screech, a total disregard for speed limits and the worrying practice of racing at traffic lights with their mates.

Bear in mind, however, that boy racers may not necessarily be young, although they are all fairly immature and inconsiderate. The best way to avoid a collision with a testosterone-fuelled youngster is to be on the lookout for unpredictable driving manoeuvres, keep a safe distance from their vehicle and if they are driving impatiently or aggressively, move out of their way and let them accumulate enough speeding points to earn themselves a lengthy driving ban.

The Roadhog

The roadhog is usually the slightly more mature version of the boy racer, displaying similar erratic driving and inconsiderate attitude towards other users. Where the roadhog differs however is that their aggression is not down to inexperience, but a lack of empathy or contempt for other road users.

Roadhogs tend to ‘tail-gate’ other drivers, flashing their lights and hurrying cars along as they speed to their destination. He also has a habit of swerving frequently to make sure that other drivers cannot get past and, should you antagonise a roadhog they are likely to turn nasty, deliberately braking sharply in front of you in an attempt to show their superiority.

Again, there’s little that most considerate drivers can do to avoid a roadhog, but the most sensible approach is to not get angry or upset or become competitive. The last thing anyone needs on the road is to become engaged in a battle, the potential for a fatal accident in such circumstances is simply far too high.

Again, let them pass, with a smile and a cheery wave; there’s nothing that a roadhog likes less than to feel that they are not important whatsoever!

The Sunday Driver

Mixing a roadhog with a Sunday driver is usually a recipe for disaster. The Sunday Driver is one that other road users think is driving far too slowly for the road or the conditions. Sunday drivers are usually elderly or less confident drivers who are careful, occasionally confused and feel that they need to take their time to get to their destination. They usually cannot understand why other drivers behind them are in such a rush.

Just ‘pootling along’ at 20 miles per hour on a 50 miles per hour road, whilst other cars are stacking up behind them, can become extremely frustrating. It can also lead to drivers behind the Sunday driver attempting dangerous and poorly judged overtaking manoeuvres to get ahead of them.

The Backseat DriverThe last of the usual suspects on our list is the ‘backseat driver’, and most worryingly unlike the other driver types, this particular menace can be found within your own car! The backseat driver isn’t a driver as such, but their motoring skills are such that they feel compelled to provide the driver with constant advice (thinly veiled criticism, usually). As well as helpful comments they are also inclined to confuse the driver with imagined dangers or muddled directions.

The key for any driver hindered by a backseat driver is to concentrate on the road ahead of them, make their own decisions and to not be afraid to ask their backseat driver to pipe down from time to time!

So, now that the main driving menaces have been revealed, which one are you? Hopefully none of the above driving types will feel recognisable to you, but if they do, remember that it is never too late to change your ways.