Alright folks, buckle up, because today I’m diving into something I’ve been tinkering with on and off for a while: how many driving errors do most drivers actually make? It’s a rabbit hole, let me tell ya.
First things first, gotta define “error”. That’s where I started. Is it just near-misses? Is it every little lane drift? I figured, let’s focus on things that could realistically lead to an accident if the circumstances were just a little bit different. So, things like failing to signal, speeding (a bit over, not like, drag racing), following too closely, that kind of stuff.
I spent a couple of weeks just… observing. Yeah, boring, I know. But I drove my usual routes, paid extra attention to other drivers, and made a mental note of everything. Then I started using a notepad. Then I got all fancy and built a little spreadsheet on my phone to log stuff. It looked like this:
- Date/Time
- Location (general area)
- Type of Error (speeding, following too close, etc.)
- Severity (low, medium, high – totally subjective, I know)
- My guess at the driver’s age/gender (roughly)
The hardest part was being objective. I mean, we all think we’re better drivers than average, right? So I tried to stick to observable behavior, not assumptions. If someone cut me off, I didn’t automatically assume they were a terrible person; I just logged it as “Failure to yield.”
After a month of this, I had a decent amount of data. It wasn’t perfect, of course. My sample size was limited to my commute and errands, and my judgment was… well, mine. But here’s what I found:
Some “Findings” (Take ’em with a Grain of Salt)
Almost everyone makes errors. Seriously. I almost never saw a drive, even a short one, where someone didn’t do something questionable. Whether it was a little speed creep, or a slightly late signal.
Following too closely was way more common than I thought. Like, ridiculously common. I’m talking multiple times per trip. I suspect people don’t even realize they’re doing it most of the time. I even caught myself doing it a few times! Ugh.
The “severity” of errors seemed to cluster. Most errors were in the “low” category. Annoying, maybe, but not immediately dangerous. But the “high” severity errors, the real “whoa, almost crashed” moments, happened more often than I was comfortable with. Maybe once or twice a week from other drivers.
Age/gender? I tried to be unbiased, but honestly, the data was murky. I saw bad driving from everyone. Maybe younger drivers were more prone to speeding, and older drivers more prone to slow merging, but the overlap was huge.
So, how many errors do most drivers make? If I had to ballpark it, I’d say most drivers make at least one noticeable driving error per trip (say, a 20-30 minute drive). And several smaller ones that they don’t even realize.
What’s the takeaway? This wasn’t some scientific study. It was just me being nosy and trying to understand the risks on the road. But it made me a more conscious driver. I started giving people more space, being extra patient, and double-checking everything. It reminded me we’re all human and we all make mistakes. Maybe this will encourage you to do the same thing. Drive safe folks!
