When you read driving in this case, think of driving a nail, not driving a car. The hammer drives the nail in a particular direction; likewise, certain forces can drive people to act a certain way. We can be driven by fiscal or market forces, such as possible cost savings or tax incentives, or we can be driven by emotions, ambitions, addictions, needs, or social causes.
- Greed is what drove the investment adviser to bilk his customers.
- Hunger is what drove the poor man to steal a loaf of bread.
- The prospect of a promotion is what drove Linda to work 12 hours every day, six days a week.
- The high price of gasoline plus concerns about lowering air pollution were the key driving forces behind the development of the hybrid automobile.
- But always Shackleton was driven by the need to test his personal abilities and to emerge the victor in competition. (Beau Riffenburgh, 2008)
It might be worth mentioning that writers don't always explicitly say which force is driving the individual or the group, but assume the reader can figure it out.
- He was driven to be the best athlete he could be.
- Despite the fact that her confidence was in tatters, she was driven to fight for what she wanted, to win what she'd come for, and to spare no effort to reach her goal. (Bi Feiyu, 2010)