I totally agree!

By leaving super early to do it clockwise it helped a lot in not being stuck behind someone (I did get stuck behind one very anxious driver that refused to let me pass, until a local arrived behind very fast and started honking a lot right before a pull out and the anxious driver finally let me pass too after we both let the local pass first obviously). The other time when we did it counterclockwise, we also avoided most tourists by finishing the loop at around 4-6 pm. Most tourists stick to a very predictable schedule!

Never felt in danger, no one is taking these sharp turns super fast, everybody we encountered seemed careful. I think it helps that the road is sold all the time as dangerous, the most anxious and/or inexperienced drivers tend to avoid driving it.