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Originally Posted by powerclown
What makes a person a good driver?
Situational awareness. Knowing when to be aggressive, knowing when to be passive. Too slow is as inappropriate as too fast. Doing one's part to keep traffic affected by you flowing at a safe, appropriate speed. Don't hit other cars, don't cause other cars to hit you. There is a Zen to driving in traffic. Except in New York City, where Automotive Anarchy reigns and its every man, woman and child for themself!!! 
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This is so true around the Portland area--there are stretches of freeway where if you're not going 70, you're clogging up everyone behind you, which isn't safe (even though going 70 is speeding). There IS a Zen to driving in traffic, and as I learned to freeway-drive on the Sunset Highway (an abominable piece of freeway in the Portland suburbs) I'm quite skilled at it now.
What makes a good driver? In my opinion, it's someone who is focused, attentive to the task at hand, knowledgeable of their car's capabilities, is cautious but not overly so (I had a friend who was so cautious she wouldn't go through drive-thrus), can drive assertively when the situation calls for it, and able to show flexibility given difficult/different driving situations. My dad is the best driver I know--yes, he drives fast and sometimes in an assertive manner, but he is always safe about it, knows what his car can handle, and does well even in heavy traffic.
A bad driver is someone who is overly cautious or overly risky (moderation between the two is key), pushes their car too hard, speeds in situations where speeding is not called for (going 90 on a straight, dry freeway is a bit different than going 90 on a wet, curvy country road), and is distracted easily (one friend would turn her head completely to talk to you, taking her eyes off the road).