This is something that I've randomly thought about in the past, but today I just randomly got the itch to post a whole journal about how I drive. It seems insane to some (even my dad says I drive recklessly), but it's really calculated and careful and definitely not reckless. So without further ado, this is how I drive. All of the rules that I devised on my own based on personal experience as well as others' personal experiences, and follow as strictly as presence of mind allows.

IMPORTANT SAFETY RULES FIRST
1) NEVER EVER stray outside your own lane unless you can see with utmost certainty (and far enough ahead of yourself) that you can afford to utilize the extra space on the other half of the road. This is EXTREMELY important around blind curves and when you're just about to mount a hill. I have almost been victim to head-on collisions due to OTHER drivers not heeding this one intelligent piece of advice.
2) ALWAYS know where your wheels are relative to YOUR position in the car. On long drives when you're bored and the road you're on has rumble strips in the shoulder, idly drift into the shoulder until you feel the "BUZZZZZZ" of your wheels hitting the rumble strip, and pay attention to where that strip is relative to your point of view. This is an extremely handy piece of knowledge when you're driving a narrow road with no shoulders.
3) DO NOT use the center line as your line of reference for driving unless you are in the far left hand lane of a multi lane highway. If you do, you will inevitably become one of those drivers that drifts over that line and poses a collision risk to others. ALWAYS use the shoulder line to your left. Find out a comfortable notch to nest that line into along the bottom of your windshield where it meets the bonnet and dash, and hold it there.
4) ALWAYS buckle up (this can save your life in the event of other drivers being total idiots!). NEVER look at your cell phone for extended periods of time (even quick glances have sometimes resulted in near-misses for me). When the road gets curvy, keep BOTH hands on the steering wheel, unless you have to shift gears (this exception applies to manual transmissions), and ALWAYS keep your eyes solidly planted on the road as far ahead as your visual acuity and terrain allows.
5) If you are getting sleepy, for god's sake and for your own safety as well as that of everyone around you, pull off the road and take a quick catnap. Seriously, no one is going to think you are stupid or foolish for pulling off the road and catching some Z's if it means being able to keep your eyes open for the rest of the drive. I've done this many a time when driving home from Atlanta/Chattanooga. Highway 111 from Chattanooga to home is one of the most boring roads Tennessee has to offer. It's not fun to drive late in the evening after spending a whole day driving around. And that urge to just get home is a powerful one, but it should never supersede the importance of being alert and aware of your surroundings.
6) If you have had even ONE drink of alcohol, you are unfit to drive. Even a light buzz inhibits one's alertness and presence of mind. Driving demands a LOT of attention and awareness, that is sometimes difficult to pull off even when completely sober and wide awake. Attempting to drive while even slightly inebriated can pose a risk to yourself and others. Just sit around wherever you are for a couple hours and wait for the buzz to pass, or call a cab and pick your car up the next morning, or if you're too far away from home or with a friend, just spend the night on a sofa.
7) NEVER EVER EVER try to pass on a blind curve or hill. This is DANGEROUS. ALWAYS wait until you have a section with high enough long distance visibility (it doesn't even have to be straight--it can be a flat but slightly curvy section of road) and NO oncoming traffic. Then, make your move according to Technique Rule #3.
8) If you are behind a driver who is swerving a lot, or is driving over the center line a lot, give them LOTS of space. Those kinds of drivers are DANGEROUS, and if you try to tailgate them, you are setting yourself up for being a third party in a collision if one should happen. Give them space, and when the first opportunity comes along, pass them and put them behind you.
9) LEAVE DRAFTING TO THE EXPERTS!!! And by experts, I'm talking professional stunt and racing drivers. Drafting can give you and the other driver one way tickets to an ER if the car in front of you suddenly brakes and you hit them in the rear. And how close you have to drive in order to gain the fuel efficiency benefits from drafting is unbelievably close, even for tailgating standards. Seriously, just don't fucking do it, alright?
10) MOTORCYCLES: They do exist. They are very hard to spot. They are very tiny. And they are VERY much unprotected. Give them plenty of room. Riders of motorcycles are looking to have fun, but they can't have fun when drivers act as if motorcycles are like other cars. MOTORCYCLES ARE NOT CARS! Give them some fucking space.

SPEED
1) I never drive more than 5mph over the marked limit on roads I have never been on before, unless it is a very straight section of road--it's complete idiocy to try and drive crazy fast when approaching an unfamiliar curve.
2) On familiar roads, the speed limit is just a suggestion. But that also doesn't mean that driving ANY speed is a good idea. If you know the road well enough to know what speed is a smartly safe maximum, don't go any faster than that. And of course, keep your eyes out for cops. This rule is NOT applicable for roads that are frequently watched by police and highway patrol; stay within 5mph of the marked limit in this case, even if other drivers around you are tailgating your ass. After all, you don't want a ticket, but if they want one they can have it! :V My general rule of thumb is 15mph over the marked limit is a safe maximum for most roads, with lower speeds being exceptions for particularly hazardous segments like tight curves and blind hills with busy intersections immediately afterward, and higher speeds being exceptions for extremely straight sections with VERY high and long distance visibility.
3) When you're on a long distance drive, cruise control is your bestest, most awesome friend in the whole wide world. Find a comfy speed within 5-10mph of the marked limit that isn't too much faster than the rest of traffic around you, and lock it in. It saves fuel when you're not constantly feathering the accelerator, and if your selected speed is somewhat within the general flow of traffic, it also saves a TON of hassle dealing with stupidly slow drivers. You can usually just drift around them as you move along, and still be able to stay out of the ways of the stupidly fast drivers that're asking for speeding tickets.

TECHNIQUE
1) If you can shift gears on your car, use the stick/paddles regularly. It's there for a reason. Plus, it gives you the fun feeling that you're driving a racing car. Play an active role in how the car behaves and how much power and torque meets the pavement! You can gain a lot of performance benefit from actively partaking in your car's power output.
2) Tight curves: Brake to a safe speed BEFORE the curve, and shift down to a gear that'll put engine RPM within 3K-4K just as you pull into the curve, and accelerate through. This sounds counter-intuitive to most, but this is a racing technique that is WELL UNDERSTOOD for a good reason: acceleration puts additional weight on the rear wheels of your car. Your car's rear suspension is designed to offer a slight bit of counter-steer to reduce understeer as the suspension travels upward due to compression. The more weight you can put on the rear going through a curve with acceleration G-forces, the more counter-steer the rear wheels generate, which helps you hold a tighter, more stable line. Plus, BRAKING through the curve takes weight OFF the rear wheels, reducing their ability to grip the road and increasing understeer by a considerable amount. I've almost lost control because stupid me braked through a curve instead of accelerated. The car feels like it's riding a rail when you accelerate through, but when you brake you feel like you're about to spin out of control.
3) When passing, shift your car down into the gear you need BEFORE you start the pass, not as you're initiating it. Why? The added torque and power offered by the lower gear helps you to accelerate to a faster speed as you're shifting into the other lane and moving to pass the other car. Plus, if you're passing a douchebag that likes to try and speed up to head you off at the pass, being able to blast past them before they can realize you're making a move on them is very handy.

FOUL WEATHER
1) There is only one rule for foul weather driving: DON'T DRIVE LIKE THESE RULES DIRECT!! keep your speed at or just barely above the marked limit. Slow down to conservative speeds on curves. Give drivers TONS of room. And pay careful attention to the road, even on straight sections. Rain or snow can EASILY conceal road lines even in the middle of the day. If things get so shitty that you have to pull off for a few minutes, it's a lot smarter to do that than to try and forge onward.

And finally, some parting words: Learn your car's limitations. Learn the response time of the engine and steering. Learn how loose the steering and suspension feel. Understand your car's blind spots, and never forget about them. Learn where your wheels are located, and where your front and rear bumpers are. And last but not least, learn when to back off and drive safely.

Remember: YOU are in control of YOUR car, not the other way around. But YOUR car has its breaking point. DO NOT push it past the breaking point. And last but not least: have fun. Driving is not supposed to be stressful. Driving is about the experience of freedom, and of moving, and getting places really fast, and being in complete control of where you go and how fast you get there.