Not true, at least for any skilled driver. N=1, & my prior racing training & experience is an advantageous influence, but I am constantly assessing the intent,

Not true, at least for any skilled driver. N=1, & my prior racing training & experience is an advantageous influence, but I am constantly assessing the intent, attitude, skills, etc. of other drivers to adjust my actions. Of course it is trivially true that we all intend to go from point A to B. But that is almost irrelevant. It is the million micro-decisions on the trip that count. Without seeing the human, I assess in seconds whether the other driver is unusually high or low-skills, focused or distracted or impaired, polite or rude... and this constant assessment, with human understanding, of (others') human goals and attitudes is a key element of driving skills, and yes this is basically all covered in your exception of needing to account for stupidity of people. That exception is just bigger than you think.