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Yes, all of us make mistakes, and if you did not feel some remorse after making a mistake, then you would not be a fully-functioning human being.
Even though my driving record is probably better than most people's driving record (No tickets for 17 years, and only 3 tickets in total during my life; 2 minor accidents in my first 7 years of driving, but no accidents in the following 41 years), I do occasionally do something inconsiderate when I am behind the wheel. The resulting feeling of remorse then keeps me from being inconsiderate for quite a while.
Think of that feeling of remorse as being your conscience at work, trying to keep you on the right path. The trick is to channel that feeling of remorse into a long-term plan of driving less aggressively.
However, I do take issue with the OP's statement that he/she is not putting others' lives at risk. If you are driving aggressively, it is only a matter of time before a "mistake" that is driven by aggression does put someone's life at risk, and one serious accident with bodily injury to others can change your life permanently and irrevocably.
Here is an idea that might help the OP to drive less aggressively:
Most of us would like to save money on gasoline. The less-aggressively that you drive, the less gasoline you are likely to use. So, if the OP tells himself/herself that he/she is driving in order to maximize gas mileage, that will be a major step toward less aggressive driving
The old advice to "drive as if there is a raw egg between the sole of your foot and the car's pedals" is an excellent way to increase your gas mileage. The object is to avoid breaking this imaginary egg.
But--the bonus is that this habit will also cause you to drive less aggressively. In other words, do not make any sudden or forceful movement of either the gas or the brake pedal--if you can avoid it. If you are slow and gentle with your application of both pedals in order to get better gas mileage, you will automatically be driving less aggressively!
Yes, I do feel bad after some driving mistakes. Just recently I was behind a car, in a crowded shopping plaza, that was just sitting in the roadway. I thought the driver was either not paying attention or letting someone out of the car who was just taking forever. At first I quickly tapped my horn, then after no response gave a more aggressive beep. Turns out there was a crosswalk ahead and the driver was sitting there waiting for someone in a wheelchair to cross. Even though I had no idea there was a crosswalk ahead of the other driver, much less a wheelchair bound person getting ready to cross the street, I felt horrible at honking. There were other drivers around who probably could see the person getting ready to cross the street with me beeping, probably thinking how horrible of a person I was. I am preparing my fireproof suit for my moment is hell for that one.
Oh well, some of us make mistakes.
Kudos to you for admitting your mistake. I can't believe some of the posters on this forum who keep criticizing others who have admitted to driving mistakes as if they themselves have obeyed every traffic law out there. Heck, on my 10 min. morning commute on two-lane streets, I can't drive at the speed limit without people passing me by the second.
I often drive aggressively. For those who don't know what that means, which covers half the previous posters here, it doesn't mean speeding, cutting through parking lots, swerving in and out of traffic, etc. For me it means taking opportunities that others may not. A good example-yesterday I pulled out of a parking lot onto a road and saw that the left turn signal for the road I wanted to take had just turned yellow. I know it's a long light, so I shot across three (empty) lanes and made the left turn through the intersection while the light was still yellow. While I didn't follow the "slow and be prepared to stop" intent of a yellow light, I did not break any laws, or endanger or inconvenience any other drivers. I simply used the power of my car, knowledge of the length of the light, and driving skill to my advantage.
OTOH, while in the parking garage just before this maneuver, I drove out in front of a car that clearly had right of way. I simply lost focus for a moment. Fortunately neither of us were moving very fast, so he stopped and allowed me to continue my mistake, while indicating that I was #1 in his book. Oops.
I don't make many actual errors while driving, but the ones I do make are caused by not paying attention for a moment far more than anything related to aggressive driving. I'm much more focused when I'm driving...assertively...so I think that usually keeps me from screwing up.
Yes, I do feel bad after some driving mistakes. Just recently I was behind a car, in a crowded shopping plaza, that was just sitting in the roadway. I thought the driver was either not paying attention or letting someone out of the car who was just taking forever. At first I quickly tapped my horn, then after no response gave a more aggressive beep. Turns out there was a crosswalk ahead and the driver was sitting there waiting for someone in a wheelchair to cross. Even though I had no idea there was a crosswalk ahead of the other driver, much less a wheelchair bound person getting ready to cross the street, I felt horrible at honking. There were other drivers around who probably could see the person getting ready to cross the street with me beeping, probably thinking how horrible of a person I was. I am preparing my fireproof suit for my moment is hell for that one.
Oh well, some of us make mistakes.
If I were in your situation, I would have seriously considered getting out, or calling out, to apologize to the driver in front. I've done it before, when I realized that my behavior was so out of line. Yours was an honest mistake, it seems, so I say just live and learn. Maybe look around a bit more before you get on the horn!
I often drive aggressively. For those who don't know what that means, which covers half the previous posters here, it doesn't mean speeding, cutting through parking lots, swerving in and out of traffic, etc. For me it means taking opportunities that others may not. A good example-yesterday I pulled out of a parking lot onto a road and saw that the left turn signal for the road I wanted to take had just turned yellow. I know it's a long light, so I shot across three (empty) lanes and made the left turn through the intersection while the light was still yellow. While I didn't follow the "slow and be prepared to stop" intent of a yellow light, I did not break any laws, or endanger or inconvenience any other drivers. I simply used the power of my car, knowledge of the length of the light, and driving skill to my advantage.
OTOH, while in the parking garage just before this maneuver, I drove out in front of a car that clearly had right of way. I simply lost focus for a moment. Fortunately neither of us were moving very fast, so he stopped and allowed me to continue my mistake, while indicating that I was #1 in his book. Oops.
I don't make many actual errors while driving, but the ones I do make are caused by not paying attention for a moment far more than anything related to aggressive driving. I'm much more focused when I'm driving...assertively...so I think that usually keeps me from screwing up.
you are a wreck looking for a place to happen.cutting across three lanes of traffic to beat a yellow light is insane.
you did not lose focus... you never developed that skill........
you are a wreck looking for a place to happen.cutting across three lanes of traffic to beat a yellow light is insane.
you did not lose focus... you never developed that skill........
He didn't cut across three lanes of traffic. He simply cut across there lanes of an empty road.
And, how can you judge him because he admitted to one instance where he lost his focus?
Here is an idea that might help the OP to drive less aggressively:
Most of us would like to save money on gasoline. The less-aggressively that you drive, the less gasoline you are likely to use. So, if the OP tells himself/herself that he/she is driving in order to maximize gas mileage, that will be a major step toward less aggressive driving
The old advice to "drive as if there is a raw egg between the sole of your foot and the car's pedals" is an excellent way to increase your gas mileage. The object is to avoid breaking this imaginary egg.
But--the bonus is that this habit will also cause you to drive less aggressively. In other words, do not make any sudden or forceful movement of either the gas or the brake pedal--if you can avoid it. If you are slow and gentle with your application of both pedals in order to get better gas mileage, you will automatically be driving less aggressively!
Yes, I'm big on trying to limit the amount of places that I go to due to the high prices of gasoline. Lately, I find myself accelerating extremely suddenly from a stop light (as if the thrill of going 0 to 50 in a few seconds overrides my attempts to save money on gas). Still, I have a pretty good knowledge of the stop lights on one particular stretch of a highway so I know it would be foolish to accelerate to the next light which is red. The guy going 60 mph will end up at the same spot as the guy cruising to the light going 30 mph who never ends up using his brake.
I read somewhere how much time I save by driving faster and it was just a minute or two in my case. So I see no point in taking such risks just to save a minute.
Also I drive around the speed limit. With city driving I sometimes see people in a hurry - tailgating, passing other cars, weaving in/out of traffic, etc. Then more often than not, I catch up to these people at the next traffic signal.
Some traffic signals have sensors in the road and will intentionally turn red if a car is speeding. So you can actually be delayed by driving fast in some situations!
Other signals are timed for cars going the speed limit. If you go the speed limit, you will hit all green lights. If you speed, you will speed up, hit a red light, then wait, then go and speed up to hit the next red light. I drive the speed limit and catch up to these people at each light. Quite funny!
I would suggest doing whatever it takes to be able to leave earlier. Set an alarm clock earlier. Start getting ready earlier. Whatever. Then take your time and drive safely.
Yes, I'm big on trying to limit the amount of places that I go to due to the high prices of gasoline. Lately, I find myself accelerating extremely suddenly from a stop light (as if the thrill of going 0 to 50 in a few seconds overrides my attempts to save money on gas). Still, I have a pretty good knowledge of the stop lights on one particular stretch of a highway so I know it would be foolish to accelerate to the next light which is red. The guy going 60 mph will end up at the same spot as the guy cruising to the light going 30 mph who never ends up using his brake.
I drove for Dominos for a couple years in the late 80's and learned a lot about how to get from A to B in town more quickly. Generally it doesn't mean driving faster than everyone else, for the reasons you gave. It's about being more efficient (not more MPG efficient, necessarily) in the decisions one makes while driving.
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