Since the thread, which began May 2021, seems to have vanished, I wish to create a new one.
From Darkness to Light. 
1. I paid for a condensed tumble dryer, which I reserved on Tuesday; for delivery, tomorrow. Also paid for a three-year warranty. (In cash)
2. I made a poem, entitled 'Storm in a teacup', about the arrival of Agnes. (SEYMOUR!)
3. Bought more Farm-Fresh milk today.
Let me preface this by stating that you are one of the more lovely posters here, and I mean you no disparagement at all.
If I had FIVE separate incidents with other drivers, I'd be serious questioning either the quality of driving standards in the area in which I lived OR I'd be asking myself some hard questions about my own driving ability.
I probably don't get that many in a year... I do see a lot of stupid manouevers and unneccesary braking etc, but it rarely affects me as I anticipate and deal with other peoples errors usually slightly before they do.
Driving is either scary or boring if you only drive your own car, it becomes much more enjoyable when you expand your situational awareness to be able to exert some conscious control over not only yourself but THEM.
Admittedly, I served a few years being as close to a professional road race driver as it gets (field service engineer, working for the banking sector)
I have become much more relaxed of driving lately. As long as I can keep myself safe, I don't care for other road users. People have their own lives to live and if they want to drive like a nutcase that's entirely up to them. There's no point getting irate and spoiling my own day. I used to have a chip on my shoulder about big or fancy cars, but I've dealt with that now as well.
Driving is a matter of physical and emotional survival.
The only way I can do it and not be endlessly annoyed, in fact maybe even KIND to my fellow road users is to have a solution already in place for every problem they present, and be perfect in my own control of my vehicle.
I don't always manage all of that, every time, but I've probably got quite a good batting average by now, and I enjoy the feeling of "being n control of my situation", which I don't get in many areas of my life.
As you grow your technical and emotional skills I suspect this will come to you too, but maybe not being forced to travel the midlands motorway & general road system fro up to 58K miles per years (at one pint!) means you will take longer to come to that point of confidence. Every time I see someone lunge past me, in a stupid overtake (or undertake!) I saw it coming, so it doesn't sure me or move me to anger towards that driver, just a calm satisfaction that I don't need to do that.
I read the road and predict to an extent, that if I need to be first in the queue I can do that. If I need you to not get past me I can do that too, but why do I care? Most people who blast past me in a "do or die" manoeuver will eventually pick the wrong lane, whereas if I'm in a hurry and on my game I will not pick the wrong lane.
OF course when we hit the averaging speed restriction most people drive at an indicated fifty MPH which is NOT in any way an average 50MPH. By keeping accurate track of speed, distance, and time, doing teh calculations in my head) and picking my moment, I can happily sail past the person who did that "do or die cut me off" manoeuver in the lead up to the roadworks 50Mph speed restriction zone at an indicated 60 mph without breaking any law, providing I pick my place and have accumulated sufficient "speed credit" in the zone I am in and also across the whole speed restriction zone.
It's all as you correctly identify about safety really, and since other people don;t do safety as well as they should, a true "king of the road" needs to know how to do it safely. Any fool can open the throttle and point for the gap, but slotting effortlessly into a gap that you created (by careful use of road positioning, indications and an extended sense of situational awareness) or predicted and which has appeared at the most convenient time, is way more satisfying, and way, way less dangerous or stressful.
I feel very "empowered" when I get in control of a motor vehicle, but only because I have studied and worked very hard to be in total control of myself and my vehicle and then done my best to extend that control outwards...
I hope this trip into my own way of thinking, (whch works very well for me as a driver, using the standard metrics of how safe are you, how little does my driving style affect other people, how tired or frazzled am I at the end of a journey etc..) gives you some inspiration to reduce your own incidents to a less nerve wracking number...
I feel for you, bro.
There's a wonderful zen driving you tube I'll try and find that. He has a perfect attitude towards safe and happy driving. and communicates it in a much more accessible style than I can manage.
Driving is a matter of physical and emotional survival.
The only way I can do it and not be endlessly annoyed, in fact maybe even KIND to my fellow road users is to have a solution already in place for every problem they present, and be perfect in my own control of my vehicle.
I don't always manage all of that, every time, but I've probably got quite a good batting average by now, and I enjoy the feeling of "being n control of my situation", which I don't get in many areas of my life.
As you grow your technical and emotional skills I suspect this will come to you too, but maybe not being forced to travel the midlands motorway & general road system fro up to 58K miles per years (at one pint!) means you will take longer to come to that point of confidence. Every time I see someone lunge past me, in a stupid overtake (or undertake!) I saw it coming, so it doesn't sure me or move me to anger towards that driver, just a calm satisfaction that I don't need to do that.
I read the road and predict to an extent, that if I need to be first in the queue I can do that. If I need you to not get past me I can do that too, but why do I care? Most people who blast past me in a "do or die" manoeuver will eventually pick the wrong lane, whereas if I'm in a hurry and on my game I will not pick the wrong lane.
OF course when we hit the averaging speed restriction most people drive at an indicated fifty MPH which is NOT in any way an average 50MPH. By keeping accurate track of speed, distance, and time, doing teh calculations in my head) and picking my moment, I can happily sail past the person who did that "do or die cut me off" manoeuver in the lead up to the roadworks 50Mph speed restriction zone at an indicated 60 mph without breaking any law, providing I pick my place and have accumulated sufficient "speed credit" in the zone I am in and also across the whole speed restriction zone.
It's all as you correctly identify about safety really, and since other people don;t do safety as well as they should, a true "king of the road" needs to know how to do it safely. Any fool can open the throttle and point for the gap, but slotting effortlessly into a gap that you created (by careful use of road positioning, indications and an extended sense of situational awareness) or predicted and which has appeared at the most convenient time, is way more satisfying, and way, way less dangerous or stressful.
I feel very "empowered" when I get in control of a motor vehicle, but only because I have studied and worked very hard to be in total control of myself and my vehicle and then done my best to extend that control outwards...
I hope this trip into my own way of thinking, (whch works very well for me as a driver, using the standard metrics of how safe are you, how little does my driving style affect other people, how tired or frazzled am I at the end of a journey etc..) gives you some inspiration to reduce your own incidents to a less nerve wracking number...
I feel for you, bro.
There's a wonderful zen driving you tube I'll try and find that. He has a perfect attitude towards safe and happy driving. and communicates it in a much more accessible style than I can manage.
I have become much more relaxed of driving lately. As long as I can keep myself safe, I don't care for other road users. People have their own lives to live and if they want to drive like a nutcase that's entirely up to them. There's no point getting irate and spoiling my own day. I used to have a chip on my shoulder about big or fancy cars, but I've dealt with that now as well.
