Swmbo - barney100
Is swmbo a better driver than you? Mine is, more observant and courteous and certainly gets places quicker.
Swmbo - RT

Yes, in a way - recognising her own limitations she expects me to drive everywhere !

We're old-fashioned, even for OAPs - we never compete against each other at the same things, best at all things we do together.

Swmbo - Mike H

No, and she admits I'm a better driver than her. We were both members of the IAM when we lived in the UK, and strove to set good examples to our son when he was learning to drive. Don't agree with some of the IAM mantra, but IMHO it's all about anticipation, reading the road, making allowances for other people making unexpected manoevres.

She likes driving fast, and is a little impatient. Her biggest fault these days, IMHO, is that she drives in a way that was once described to me as "ankle deep in pedals"! I accelerate gently & brake gently, she tends to accelerate harder, even if she can see that the traffic is stopped ahead, then brakes when we reach it. Me, I'd just gently squeeze the throttle to keep moving and then just brake gently at the end. She often accuses me of not braking in certain circumstances, e.g. on the motorway, when there is bunching ahead and you see a brake light come on, but the truth is, I am braking and judging my speed to avoid a bonnet-dipping moment as I approach the traffic. She'd tear up to the queue, then brake hard.

The same attribute gets me in trouble if I remind her we have to turn left (or right) - she approaches junctions faster than I think is appropriate, and signals later, so I think she's forgotten the turn. She hasn't, and I get my ear chewed off with the inevitable "I KNOW I've got to turn" :-(

On the upside. she's safe (with the proviso that she sometimes drives too fast for the circumstances), and confident, and handles the car well. I can sleep when she's cruising the autobahn at 100mph, so that must sy something!

There, got that off my chest. Can't tell her most of this otherwise I'd be in casualty! ,-)

Edited by Mike H on 31/08/2013 at 10:59

Swmbo - Bobbin Threadbare

I AM SWMBO - hear me rev!

Mr B and I have, unfortunately, gone our separate ways recently, but I'd say we were about as good as each other, driving-wise. He taught me after all! I'm much quicker than him; he's become slower and slower over the years. He's also done some stupid things, like sliding his car into a kerb and ruining a wheel, and he has no sense of direction. We very rarely get lost; he's good at sat nav interpretation and I've got a sense of direction and can read maps. The best driver I know is his dad, who is a very good reader of the road. My dad was a qualified police driver; there's something in the adage that the police are the worst offenders, for speeding anyway!

Swmbo - coopshere
Is swmbo a better driver than you? Mine is, more observant and courteous and certainly gets places quicker.


Only when she's in the passenger seat!
Swmbo - madf

Is swmbo a better driver than you?

Accidents in past 40 years:

Swmbo 1 madf 0

Points on licence in past 40 years

Swmbo 0 madf 0


Swmbo - craig-pd130

Yes, and faster too. I don't hang around but when she's behind the wheel, it's like being driven by Michele Mouton ...

Swmbo - Happy Blue!

No - coming from London she is an agressive driver, with no anticipation and too much speed. She has had more speeding points than me over the years and on the motorway, her average speed is higher and economy lower. I cower in the passenger seat when she drives me around town. No mechanical sympathy whatsoever. If a car can survive her, it can survive anyone and anywhere.

Swmbo - Smileyman

Lucky SWMBO does NOT have a presence on this forum or we would have a public fight ... we both consider ourselves to be better drivers - but I won when we hired a car in the USA, she does not like automatics!

Swmbo - drd63
Fantastic - patronising chauvanism at it's very best.
Swmbo - Mike H
Fantastic - patronising chauvanism at it's very best.

Well, thanks for that illuminating & useful post, it's added quite a lot to the back room discussion :-)

Swmbo - madf
Fantastic - patronising chauvanism at it's very best.

Women are like that :-)