Yes, a lot of driving is knowing when to be scared (other than all the time). When you’re in the car with someone just starting it’s terrifying for both parties. Then as the learner, it’s easy to become complacent and think, ‘if I just do the right/legal thing, I’m alright’, but it’s not true because lots of other people break the rules (some situations break the rules!) and you need to coexist without blocking traffic. Lots of things will make an experienced driver nervous not because they’re wrong, but because other people won’t expect it.
For the more advanced (and safe) driving, it’s all about predicting other drivers by recognizing their type and knowing how they will respond. That’s really hard and new/foreign drivers are the most difficult. It’s also what makes driving in other places so hard and occasionally dangerous for experienced drivers... LA is not NY is not Boston is not Berlin is not Naples is not Greece is not Shanghai is not Seoul is not Beijing is not Delhi (I think many people who’ve driven/riden a lot in these places will instantly feel how it is to drive each of these cities).
You have to drive differently in each place so that other drivers (even the ones who are just learning) know what you’re going to do... be predictable and like the other traffic (even if it breaks rules, goes too fast, and gets too close together. I've never driven in Africa or Eastern Europe, but as a passenger it’s terrifying. Other places like Shanghai seem to break the rules in more polite ways that I’m more comfortable with.
To give an example many people will recognize, if you leave ‘too much room’ or drive ‘too slowly’ on a LA freeway other drivers will cut you off in incredibly dangerous ways... you have to ‘move with the flow of traffic’ which often means 15mph over the speed limit with less than a 2 car length gap to the vehicle ahead.
For the more advanced (and safe) driving, it’s all about predicting other drivers by recognizing their type and knowing how they will respond. That’s really hard and new/foreign drivers are the most difficult. It’s also what makes driving in other places so hard and occasionally dangerous for experienced drivers... LA is not NY is not Boston is not Berlin is not Naples is not Greece is not Shanghai is not Seoul is not Beijing is not Delhi (I think many people who’ve driven/riden a lot in these places will instantly feel how it is to drive each of these cities).
You have to drive differently in each place so that other drivers (even the ones who are just learning) know what you’re going to do... be predictable and like the other traffic (even if it breaks rules, goes too fast, and gets too close together. I've never driven in Africa or Eastern Europe, but as a passenger it’s terrifying. Other places like Shanghai seem to break the rules in more polite ways that I’m more comfortable with.
To give an example many people will recognize, if you leave ‘too much room’ or drive ‘too slowly’ on a LA freeway other drivers will cut you off in incredibly dangerous ways... you have to ‘move with the flow of traffic’ which often means 15mph over the speed limit with less than a 2 car length gap to the vehicle ahead.