Yeah I have trouble with STCC1 aswell. People moan about driving standards but dont report drivers who are below standard...
There are also things you can do to get through a race without incident, positioning your own car sensibly is a key race skill both in the sim race and the real race. You dont have to drive on the ragged edge, caution pays big reward when racing in a pack.
I have started many races in the midfield and not crashed. I've done this on all STCC tiers...
I know i'm not the most dazzlingly quick driver, I dont play on the servers half as much as the regulars, but i'm able to fight wheel to wheel and most of the time not crash. That isn't only because I only race against clean racers.
It's because I try to place my car and drive either in a manner that only gives the other driver the option of going where I want them too, or in a manner that allows me some margin for alternatives.
Sure, I sometimes find myself on opposite lock because i've been whacked harder than I expected, and yes I do have the odd accident.
If things are as bad as you suggest though, then the problem is most definately - without reservation - not entirely the fault of the other drivers.
That's no shame though, the great thing about sim racing is that it teaches race craft at a much faster rate than the real thing.