“I believe studies by insurance companies show that the slightly aggressive driver to be the safest of all. Asians drive like they are afraid and are always giving others the right of way even when they have it lawfully. This screws up other drivers who expect them to act as everybody else.”
I used to drive for work on and off as a kid/young adult (was employed driving trucks by age 17). Never had an at-fault accident, but I’ve been hit perhaps half a dozen times over the years. Being aggressive and being confident are two different things, although they can seem the same to an untrained observer. Confident drivers are in control, follow the rules because they know them well, and rarely make mistakes. Cautious drivers are usually less familiar with the rules and culture of driving (this is why they are so cautious), so they are more prone to errors. Aggressive drivers are just a-holes.
Asians are unfamiliar with the American driving culture, which is to drive fast and straight. The American walking culture is similar. This doesn’t work in Asia, because it’s too crowded, so people there meander around and flow through each other like water molecules. They drive the same way. I’ve driven in China, and it was an amusing experience. I was already accustomed to walking there and still young enough to be flexible so I got the hang of it very quickly, but a typical American would have fits over it.
* Adjusting for demographics, L.A. traditionally had the best drivers, and people in L.A. drive fast — the 134 Freeway through Burbank averages 80 to 85 mph when not jammed — I guess the point is to be aggressive but not particularly hostile.
* I take “slightly aggressive” to mean a driver who shows a willingness to break procedure and/or the law to solve a traffic problem. I drive daily for hours on Interstates with many 18 wheelers and commuters. If someone in the fast lane is talking on their cell phone, or putting on their makeup, or are just unwilling to exceed the speed limit, they can cause a dangerous backup behind them. You have to be willing to speed, and, for your own sake, to thread the needle on the right handed lanes just to get away from the dangerous congestion. And yes, speeds of 80+ mph are typical.
The real problem on highways are drivers who take it personally, i.e., the guy driving at 5 mph over the speed limit in the fast lane who refuses to drive any faster because it is the Law, or the other driver who tailgates within six feet of the guy in front of him, thinking this will cause them to finally get out of the fast lane. It never works: the guy in front slows down, and then you have some more dangerous congestion.
Two lane blacktops are a special case; you can usually tell when the guy behind you is in a hurry, and if he is, it won’t hurt to pull over and let him pass. But people rarely do that. The result is another long caravan of tail-gaters.
* Reaction times refer to decision-making times, not reflexes. Ideally, the tests can separate decision times from motor skills. The results are generally that decision times provide an indication of general intelligence (‘g’).
