DW is a horrible driver

[NYEXPAT]

I am not sure my Wife can ride a bicycle!

 

[folivier]

I had 27 years training in the Smith System of Defensive Driving. One of the tenets was "always leave yourself an out". IOW like ERD50 said keep your eyes moving and always look for an escape route.
Now get outta my way! Honk Honk

 

[scrabbler1]

I find that many drivers are not aggressive enough. Sometimes, avoiding an accident isn't a matter of hitting the brakes, you might want to take aggressive action to get out of the way. Including hitting the horn, which I find many people seem afraid to do.
.....
And another time, in a parking garage, someone stopped ahead of me, and just started backing up to be able to turn left instead of right, and almost backed into me. Again, I was quick enough on the horn, and (knowing no one was behind me) throwing it in reverse and quickly backing up 10 feet.

-ERD50

Parking lots and garages are risky places for these things to happen, for sure. Twice in my life, I have been backing out of parking spots only to see someone across the aisle from me begin backing out when I was already halfway out of my spot. The other car kept backing out slowly, somehow unaware that another car (mine) was already in his way. I did the only assuredly safe thing I could do to avoid a collision, albeit a very small one: I put the car back into a forward gear (I was driving a stick the first time, so I needed to do some fast, fancy footwork and handiwork to shift from reverse to first gear and get the car moving forward again) and returned into my partially vacated parking spot. The other car never stopped backing up and ended up in the area I had just vacated, probably clueless to what I had done to prevent a little bumpsy.

 

[MRG]

I find that many drivers are not aggressive enough. Sometimes, avoiding an accident isn't a matter of hitting the brakes, you might want to take aggressive action to get out of the way. Including hitting the horn, which I find many people seem afraid to do.

I've avoided being rear-ended by hitting the horn, looking both ways, and flooring it right through the red light. I'd rather explain it to the cop/judge than deal with the accident.

And another time, in a parking garage, someone stopped ahead of me, and just started backing up to be able to turn left instead of right, and almost backed into me. Again, I was quick enough on the horn, and (knowing no one was behind me) throwing it in reverse and quickly backing up 10 feet.

I know for sure that in each case, DW (and many other drivers I know), would just freeze and gasp.

You should always keep that "mental diary" going, and look for ways out of potential accidents as you drive. It keeps you aware/alert, and might save your life, or at least a trip to the body shop.

-ERD50

+1

I saved getting rear ended by a driver at a high rate of speed by violating the law. Got a ticket too! Was worth every dime and point to not get hit.