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I dont know. I only drive once every three months or so. and every once in a while Ill go on a huge roadtrip across the country. I have never noticed any loss i

I dont know. I only drive once every three months or so. and every once in a while Ill go on a huge roadtrip across the country. I have never noticed any loss in driving skill.

lostlogin 3y ago
Assuming you are talking about a loss in your own skills, isn’t this exactly what the OP is describing? If people perceived a change in their own abilities, the problem would likely not exist.
- darkerside 3y ago
  This, and perhaps parent's driving skill has just been poor for a very long time now. No drop, just sitting at the bottom.
  - Melting_Harps 3y ago
    > This, and perhaps parent's driving skill has just been poor for a very long time now. No drop, just sitting at the bottom. I'm not trying to be mean, but the adage in poker of spotting the fool at the table here applies. And as a person who rides bicycles, motorcycles as well as drives cars, and has driven in the EU with much stricter driving requirements I'd say there has been a massive drop in aptitude over all. So much so that I just want to live a life that allows me to be car-free now. EVs are nice, but having everything I want within walking distance is much more preferable.
    - fransje26 3y ago
      > EVs are nice, but having everything I want within walking distance is much more preferable. Come back to Europe.. ;-)
    - PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago
      that's not been my experience, maybe you just live amongst morons?
- wegfawefgawefg 3y ago
  Its a car. You turn the wheel and press the two buttons. I've beaten spelunky 1, and 2. Im also sporty and coordinated. I know what good motor skills look and feel like, and what being bad at something feels like. If there is a suspicion of skill loss in the population, i dont know why so many people in this thread would blindly accept that. We should all put our good boy skeptic scientist hats on. Are the changes in chrash severity and frequency even for all types of people? Doubtful. In what age ranges and occupations are the biggest changes in. "People crash more now because sudden population wide skill loss" doesnt even pass the basic sanity test. Im gonna need some evidence.
  - sokoloff 3y ago
    > Its a car. You turn the wheel and press the two buttons. Given that summary, I'm not surprised that you cannot detect any degradation in your driving skill during a period of not practicing.
    - noirbot 3y ago
      I don't think it's degradation any more than my skills at golf or basketball degrade in the 6 months between times I play either of them. I'm the baseline level of good enough that I'm competent, but I definitely don't have the skills of someone who practices either daily.
      - wegfawefgawefg 3y ago
        Right, and you dont have to be a pro stunt driver to make it to work every day without dying. I honestly dont know what hes getting at. Actually I think most people are significantly safer driving in a way that completely removes opportunity for skill expression. Waiting for other drivers, going normal speeds, not doing something else while driving, etc. Driving should be pretty unskillfull and boring if safe.
      - sokoloff 3y ago
        > definitely don't have the skills of someone who practices either daily And that is exactly the premise of one proposed mechanism by which serious accident rates (and insured losses) may have increased during a period when a great many people who previously practiced something daily then did not do so: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39247101 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39247101
noirbot 3y ago
Isn't that just reflecting that you have the exact amount of skill of someone who drives every 3 months? What OP is talking about is people who likely drove for an hour or more every day suddenly barely driving more than a couple times a week for a year or more, and are now back to driving daily. That's completely different from just not driving much all the time.
qup 3y ago
I've noticed truck drivers in particular have gotten much worse. They used to be overall very good. For the last 5 years or so, noticeably worse. Everyone else was already bad.
- musicale 3y ago
  I'd like to see slow trucks drive in the right lane rather than the left lane, and I'd like them to stay within the lane lines whenever possible rather than randomly drifting across them.
  - TeMPOraL 3y ago
    Stupid question, but to this day I can't get the idea of overtaking. Any given stretch of the road has a speed limit. That limit is well below the maximum capability of almost any car on the road. From the POV of traffic regulations, you'd expect drivers on either lane to drive at that limit. What is, then, the point of overtaking? The cars are swapping places back and forth, but otherwise are (supposed to be) moving at the same speed. Is it a way for some to work around speed limits (by always overtaking forward, never being overtaken), or just a pointless dance to keep drivers from being bored and falling asleep behind the wheel?
    - mjevans 3y ago
      Drivers are supposed to keep right (outside/slower lanes) except to pass. That's the law in WA state and probably in most parts of the country. As far as I know it's also the law in other countries too; offhand on the Autobon. In theory, the lanes further left should be at about the speed limit and the lanes to the right could be for slower long haul or dangerous loads driving, such as large and heavy trucks which might have a lower speed limit on some sections of road. In practice, please keep right except to pass and don't cause a traffic hazard trying to enforce slowness upon speeders with a rolling roadblock.
    - tomp 3y ago
      Yeah one wishes it would actually work like that. Unfortunately there’s many drivers that drive below the (already low) speed limits. Add to that curvy road and it becomes much worse (you can drive much closer to the limit by accelerating and braking dynamically).
blitzar 3y ago
80% of drivers think they are safer than the average driver

I dont know. I only drive once every three months or so. and every once in a while Ill go on a huge roadtrip across the country. I have never noticed any loss in driving skill.

lostlogin 3y ago

Assuming you are talking about a loss in your own skills, isn’t this exactly what the OP is describing? If people perceived a change in their own abilities, the problem would likely not exist.

darkerside 3y ago
This, and perhaps parent's driving skill has just been poor for a very long time now. No drop, just sitting at the bottom.
- Melting_Harps 3y ago
  > This, and perhaps parent's driving skill has just been poor for a very long time now. No drop, just sitting at the bottom. I'm not trying to be mean, but the adage in poker of spotting the fool at the table here applies. And as a person who rides bicycles, motorcycles as well as drives cars, and has driven in the EU with much stricter driving requirements I'd say there has been a massive drop in aptitude over all. So much so that I just want to live a life that allows me to be car-free now. EVs are nice, but having everything I want within walking distance is much more preferable.
  - fransje26 3y ago
    > EVs are nice, but having everything I want within walking distance is much more preferable. Come back to Europe.. ;-)
  - PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago
    that's not been my experience, maybe you just live amongst morons?
wegfawefgawefg 3y ago
Its a car. You turn the wheel and press the two buttons. I've beaten spelunky 1, and 2. Im also sporty and coordinated. I know what good motor skills look and feel like, and what being bad at something feels like. If there is a suspicion of skill loss in the population, i dont know why so many people in this thread would blindly accept that. We should all put our good boy skeptic scientist hats on. Are the changes in chrash severity and frequency even for all types of people? Doubtful. In what age ranges and occupations are the biggest changes in. "People crash more now because sudden population wide skill loss" doesnt even pass the basic sanity test. Im gonna need some evidence.
- sokoloff 3y ago
  > Its a car. You turn the wheel and press the two buttons. Given that summary, I'm not surprised that you cannot detect any degradation in your driving skill during a period of not practicing.
  - noirbot 3y ago
    I don't think it's degradation any more than my skills at golf or basketball degrade in the 6 months between times I play either of them. I'm the baseline level of good enough that I'm competent, but I definitely don't have the skills of someone who practices either daily.
    - wegfawefgawefg 3y ago
      Right, and you dont have to be a pro stunt driver to make it to work every day without dying. I honestly dont know what hes getting at. Actually I think most people are significantly safer driving in a way that completely removes opportunity for skill expression. Waiting for other drivers, going normal speeds, not doing something else while driving, etc. Driving should be pretty unskillfull and boring if safe.
    - sokoloff 3y ago
      > definitely don't have the skills of someone who practices either daily And that is exactly the premise of one proposed mechanism by which serious accident rates (and insured losses) may have increased during a period when a great many people who previously practiced something daily then did not do so: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39247101 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39247101

noirbot 3y ago

Isn't that just reflecting that you have the exact amount of skill of someone who drives every 3 months? What OP is talking about is people who likely drove for an hour or more every day suddenly barely driving more than a couple times a week for a year or more, and are now back to driving daily. That's completely different from just not driving much all the time.

qup 3y ago

I've noticed truck drivers in particular have gotten much worse. They used to be overall very good. For the last 5 years or so, noticeably worse. Everyone else was already bad.

musicale 3y ago
I'd like to see slow trucks drive in the right lane rather than the left lane, and I'd like them to stay within the lane lines whenever possible rather than randomly drifting across them.
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  Stupid question, but to this day I can't get the idea of overtaking. Any given stretch of the road has a speed limit. That limit is well below the maximum capability of almost any car on the road. From the POV of traffic regulations, you'd expect drivers on either lane to drive at that limit. What is, then, the point of overtaking? The cars are swapping places back and forth, but otherwise are (supposed to be) moving at the same speed. Is it a way for some to work around speed limits (by always overtaking forward, never being overtaken), or just a pointless dance to keep drivers from being bored and falling asleep behind the wheel?
  - mjevans 3y ago
    Drivers are supposed to keep right (outside/slower lanes) except to pass. That's the law in WA state and probably in most parts of the country. As far as I know it's also the law in other countries too; offhand on the Autobon. In theory, the lanes further left should be at about the speed limit and the lanes to the right could be for slower long haul or dangerous loads driving, such as large and heavy trucks which might have a lower speed limit on some sections of road. In practice, please keep right except to pass and don't cause a traffic hazard trying to enforce slowness upon speeders with a rolling roadblock.
  - tomp 3y ago
    Yeah one wishes it would actually work like that. Unfortunately there’s many drivers that drive below the (already low) speed limits. Add to that curvy road and it becomes much worse (you can drive much closer to the limit by accelerating and braking dynamically).

blitzar 3y ago

80% of drivers think they are safer than the average driver