I believe inattentive driving correlates more with accidents than things like hard braking, and might be the leading cause of hard braking too (inattentive driving will lead to following distance being reduced too as you are not watching for traffic well ahead and to the side of you).
At the same time, passing on regular intercity road can have the risk reduced (up to a point) by making the passing quicker, by spending less time in the oncoming traffic lane ("aggressive passing"). It certainly does not help with comfort, though.
So perhaps your cousin is a very attentive driver who drives aggressively? That might still only make him an "average" driver (I've had such drivers almost get others in an accident in front of me), but I think it's a balance that needs to be struck, otherwise most would tune out and not be ready for emergencies.
At the same time, passing on regular intercity road can have the risk reduced (up to a point) by making the passing quicker, by spending less time in the oncoming traffic lane ("aggressive passing"). It certainly does not help with comfort, though.
So perhaps your cousin is a very attentive driver who drives aggressively? That might still only make him an "average" driver (I've had such drivers almost get others in an accident in front of me), but I think it's a balance that needs to be struck, otherwise most would tune out and not be ready for emergencies.