German Car Forum

What do you think? Does being a car freak make you a better driver on the road?

As most car freaks are familiar with racing lines, braking points and other things that are vital for fast track times I think that we are most likely faster than the average driver on a track. But does being a car freak help you on the road?

well me and my friends had a test on a go cart track several years ago..
and i won
so i guess im the fastest..
but am i the best?
i dont really know.. i havent had an accident yet atleast..

i really dont know..

but ofcourse the more you know about a thing,..the better you get ..
so i guess car nutts should be better..

well im certainly not a better driver because well im only 15 years old so i have no driving experience.

Not really.

My best friend for example loves cars as much as I do (he's a hardcore VW nut), but he's been involved in numerous accidents and even spent 4 months in the hospital - all because he drives recklessly. He's a speed freak and his problem is that he has to max out every car he tries, even on public roads. Among the cars he's owned were a Corvette ZO6 (C5) and a VW Golf R32 with an HPA (I think that's the name) tuned engine for speed and acceleration.

Whatever you do, don't give him a Bugatti 16.4 Veyron.

I don't think so. Just because we watch videos of Jeremy Clarkson going around a corner doing 155 kmh does not mean that we know how to handle a car too. Maybe in emergency situations that require maneuvering. We are by no means race car drivers.

i must add that you have to drive fast cars in order to learn

that is a must..like warot says..it doesent help watching Top Gear

I'd say that on average, car nuts are slightly better than average drivers, especially those of us who can keep their wits about themselves and don't go around thinking they're racing drivers.

Of course, we should first define what being a 'better' driver means.

Not sure we can generalise... but I believe that most/many car freaks take pride in driving... and usually when you take pride in something you tend to do it better.

Well, my driving licence is only 3 month old, but my friends and parents said I'm a much better driver than the average. But not a professional driver. I'll never be.

^^

I agree with Martin.

I don't know about the rest of you but i 'm the greatest driver ever to be found on the face of this earth. Schumacher had to retire after seeing me drive in his recent vacation in Greece (he only saw the rear part of my car actually before i disappeared in the horizon) , all F1 teams have made me multi billion offers to drive their cars and NASA wants me to drive the next space shuttle since this planet might not be big enough for my driving talents.

L.O.L

Are we car freaks better drivers? Nope! We're crazy drivers! And sometimes we're dangerous for others too...

Most car freaks think they know better than normal drivers, so they drive around with an inflated confidence, instead of actual better level of driving skill. A few of my friends did that, and crashed. So IMO, car freaks aren't better drivers, we are just as bad, but bad in a different way.

Are car freaks better drivers? Not necessarily. Just like folks that read books about airplanes aren't necesarily good pilots & fellas that watch a lot of porn aren't necessarily champs in the sack...for some things, we have inate talent &, for others, we watch others do what we cannot.

Me, on the other hand (here comes the screen name explanation)...

All bullshit aside, I know I'm a great driver. I've been driving for the last 15 years & I drive as fast as I choose, as often as I can. And, it's not misplaced bravado, either...I'm quite comfortable driving at 200km/h through traffic & I don't find myself in a panic. Amazingly enough, the only thing that can raise any anxiety in me, behind the wheel, is the sight of a vehicle on the side of the road that has a light-bar on it (as I am a car freak, I'm a little protective of my license ).

If I had the money, I would definitely look into motorsports as a career...

heres my story , i use to work 48 miles away from home, thats like 100 miles a day, and to go to work i had a toyota corola that doesnt go over 110mp/h, anyways i have so many cuzins that work there, and their records are bettween 34/38 minutes , i did it in 29 minutes.

i consider a good driver because i have enough experiance to be able to handle a fast car , and drive better than others.

plus i never lost in carting races

one question, i had an accident before , does that make me a bad driver?

^if it where your fault then yes.. if not.. im sorry for you.. and hope that you didnt get hurt

Am i a great driver? I don't know. What i know is that i am more carefull that the average and definitely more fast that the average, but this doesn't necesserily make you better.

i know that i have very sharp reactions, but that's not because i am good in driving. It comes from another thing. I have come nearly to kill people how came in my way, but nothing has happend yet, and none of my cars have even a scratch done from me!

I sure do crazy things behind the wheel, by always trying to be fast in town, so i don't rate myself very good. I am happy with good.