Do women make good drivers?

Kell

At the risk of a battle of the sexes and a possible ban, do you think women make good drivers? Here are my sweeping generalisations as to why I think they dont-

1) They dont share the same technical approach to driving as a bloke does

2) They fail to realise that a car is a killing machine

3) They drive way to close for comfort

4) Have a tendency to adjust hair, apply makeup etc while either
moving or stopped at lights

5) Generally fail to appreciate that the fast lane on the motorway is for travelling at 70 and if they are doing 70 and the person behind them wants to pass, then they should get the fúck out of the way

6) In the case of a disagreement, they dig their heels and refuse to be co-operative even when they are blatantly in the wrong

7) They have a particular talent for taking roundabouts in the wrong lane

8) Particularly talented at parking across "Do not block" sections of roads, blocking exits and holding up yellow boxes

9) All of them suffer from hormones at one point or other during the month. In all women that I have got onto this subject with, all of them admit that the hormonal imbalance causes them to be clumsier than normal. Car+Clumsy woman = greater risk of accident small or large

10) The good looking ones cause blokes to take their eyes off the road to stare at them causing crashes

11) They pay lower insurance even in light of the above

12) Nearly forgot this one- They never move into the hard shoulder to allow you to pass in dangerous conditions

flyz

1) They dont share the same technical approach to driving as a bloke does

I think the technical approach depends more on the type of intellect of the person rather than the sex.

2) They fail to realise that a car is a killing machine

whereas men use it as a killing machine?

3) They drive way to close for comfort

I stongly disagree on this one.

It the drivers , mainly male, who think they're gods gift and own the road that drive too close for comfort. i.e. tailgating

4) Have a tendency to adjust hair, apply makeup etc while either
moving or stopped at lights

you're more likely to see a man reading a paper at traffic lights or on the phone. also he's more likely to be trying to find something in the car whilst driving

5) Generally fail to appreciate that the fast lane on the motorway is for travelling at 70 and if they are doing 70 and the person behind them wants to pass, then they should get the fúck out of the way

This holds for Men drivers too ( espeically taxi drivers), plus you've got the ones who sit on the outside lane, waiting to overtake a car that's half a mile down the road.

6) In the case of a disagreement, they dig their heels and refuse to be co-operative even when they are blatantly in the wrong

I think you're more likely to come across such a Man than a female.

7) They have a particular talent for taking roundabouts in the wrong lane

Both sexes do this, plus I think men do it more. if they see a woman driver or an L driver in the correct lane then they'll use the other one to get out in front of them, which doesn't always work.
Plus men are more impatient and choose their lane on the roundabout based more on the length of the traffic rather than the rules or the road.

8) Particularly talented at parking across "Do not block" sections of roads, blocking exits and holding up yellow boxes

As are men. Women are more likely to find a legal parking space and walk than men. Men like to park as close as possible to their destination.

9) All of them suffer from hormones at one point or other during the month. In all women that I have got onto this subject with, all of them admit that the hormonal imbalance causes them to be clumsier than normal. Car+Clumsy woman = greater risk of accident small or large

I can't comment on this as it's never happened to me.
I thought women would be more likely to suffer from road rage?

10) The good looking ones cause blokes to take their eyes off the road to stare at them causing crashes

that's not really their fault.

11) They pay lower insurance even in light of the above

Which counteracts all you said above.
Men are more likely to have high speed crashes.

12) Nearly forgot this one- They never move into the hard shoulder to allow you to pass in dangerous conditions

Why would you be overtaking in dangerous conditions? Do you not obey the rules of the road?
They're not legally obliged to AFAIK

You've obviously never driven in Cork County either. It's common courtesy to do that down here

I voted for the Some option too. not all women are good drivers.
Just like not all men are good drivers

koneko

I think you meant to post this in the Humour board.

The_Bullman

I reccon that the only vote for yes just there

seamus

Originally posted by Kell
1) They dont share the same technical approach to driving as a bloke does

flyz, this does have to do with the driver's sex. Men are generally more mathematical in their approach to things, generally have superior spatial skills and generally have more tuned reflexes.
Studies also show that while women outperform men in learning and repeating a task, men will outperform women when the details of the task change. Specifically, women did better when they were shown how to park into a specific parking spot. But men did far better when the positions of the surrounding cars were changed or the road conditions were changed.
In much the same way, driving is never the exact same every time you get into the car. You constantly have to adapt to new situations and drive on your initiative, and not just repeat the tasks your driving instructor taught you.

2) They fail to realise that a car is a killing machine

Most people do until they have a crash.

3) They drive way to close for comfort

Same goes for Men in big cars, white vans or yellow regs. I should know, I drive a bike

4) Have a tendency to adjust hair, apply makeup etc while either moving or stopped at lights

I've consulted maps, changed cd's, answered the phone...etc etc while on the move. Anyone who says they haven't is a damn liar.

5) Generally fail to appreciate that the fast lane on the motorway is for travelling at 70 and if they are doing 70 and the person behind them wants to pass, then they should get the fúck out of the way

Men are equally as bad for this.

6) In the case of a disagreement, they dig their heels and refuse to be co-operative even when they are blatantly in the wrong

Hey, they're women. What's new?

7) They have a particular talent for taking roundabouts in the wrong lane

Yes, yes they do. I can't count the amount of near misses I've had with women driving in the left hand lane and trying to take the last exit :rolleyes:

8) Particularly talented at parking across "Do not block" sections of roads, blocking exits and holding up yellow boxes

See no. 3.

The one biggie I've noticed is the deliberateness with which they drive - i.e. they're constantly thinking about what they have to do next. Nothing is done smoothly, but instead it looks like they've had to put a lot of effort and thought into doing it. IMO, all of the things that you do constantly in/on a vehicle should be completely autonomous - changing gears, indicating, judging 'safe' speed, but form what I've seen of being in cars with women is that they're constantly thinking "What do I have to do next?", which, again imo, keeps their mind off the road, if only for a split second.

leeroybrown

I voted the Some option too:

There are plenty of good female drivers out there and a hell of a lot of mediocre and bad ones.

The same can be said about male drivers too. Male drivers have one unfortunate small group who push up everyones (male of course) insurance who think they own the road, yet can't drive properly and conduct themselves accordingly.

Having used a bycicle as my primary form of transport for 4 years I can say that I've had more near misses on the road with women than with men (specifically on Sunday mornings and afternoons). This group I'll describe as the non observant drivers.

The one major flaw I've seen in women that is rarely present in male drivers is the chin on the wheel syndrone, where the driver feels some compulsion to sit forward away from the back of their seat with their face above the steering wheel. Having never tried it I can't say how bad the rear view mirror visability and steering wheel control are but ...

JabbaTheHut

There are two types of women:

1 The Lunatic:If she's merging in slow moving traffic,she'll keep driving into the lane she wants:"it's gonna fit,and nobody going to stop me".(Especially if the 'smile' doesn't work ).If you indicate to change into her lane in a motorway,she'll speed up:"no way is he getting in in front of me".And she'll flash the lights at you if you don't get in out of her way on a normal road.
(It's not legal requirement to pull over onto the hard shoulder to let traffic off,but you're obliged to do so.You can't be prosecuted if you do or don't in safe circumstances)

2 The over Cautious:She can see for 100 miles in either direction when sitting at the top of a T junction.She'll be very slow and make sure not to scratch the paint on the micra/fiesta/Yaris when she parks into that parking space when the artic pulled out of.When pulling out of a side street,and someone flashes her out(usually a man),it's a case of "Should I stay or should I go now".

Ok.Only messin'.I see plenty of men do this every day too,but there seems to be a hell of a lot more men that fit into a middle category that just doesn't seem to exist with women

Also,I KNOW not all women drive the micra/fiesta/yaris.OK?

Blitzkrieger

A male brain makes a better driver - it's a proven fact. Some women have very male brains and some men have very female brains.

Women being safer drivers is debateable. Women are 10 times more likely to hit a stationary object and I don't see how that can make them safer. So remember lads, just keep moving and you'll be alright

sceptre

Some, but not enough to cause a revolution

And it's what I voted for, but I'd have voted the same way if the poll was about men.

Dealing with the only point worth talking about IMHO, the technical approach one. Most women think they're pretty untechnical - that they're not able for all this techno stuff. I've seen it applied to driving, computers, programming the video etc. In most cases they're wrong. Men have this problem with looking stupid that women just don't seem to have in the same way. Bloke will take the time out to educate himself, some women won't (and there are plenty who do).

When I was showing GF to do things with the PC beyond just web browsing and sending email I got that "oooh, but it's so hard I'll never get it". Told her I'd show her twice and after that she could ask me particular questions but I'd never show her again. Worked with the right approach. Mind you she's a pretty good driver - except with driving my car when I'm sitting next to her (but I would say that wouldn't I). My mother, now there was a terrible driver. No idea of distance, speed or safety.

So I don't think they can't, I think some of them think they can't and aren't prepared to make the effort to improve (or perhaps don't see the problem). And for some of them, as long as they can make the thing go and stop they're happy.

That applies to fellows too - there are plenty of idiot men on the road with no idea of how fast their car can go, where it currently is, what direction it's pointing in, how the indicators work, what lane to get in for the roundabout. Actually the roundabout thing is probably the one thing that annoys me most (especially when it's tied in with the car evidently having no working indicators)

It's not an excuse, but you have to keep in mind that many women over the age of 40 driving on the roads were taught to drive by their husbands. Given that there are plenty of men over 40 (as in every other age grouping) who can't even seem to steer, let alone work all that indicator crap, what do you expect? Hence, I've been arguing for an every five year driving test since I was about 10 (which was also the last time I ever let my mother drive me anywhere). My father drives like a maniac too (but at least he knows which way his car is pointing and what size it is) - I took a trip to Dublin with him last November (GF was there too) and we both thought we were going to die. You know the way some people reckon you have to be a little more aggressive going around roundabouts in Dublin? Takes the advice a little too much to heart.

Don1

Kell, me thinks for your own pesonal safety going underground for a while until this gets dropped off the front page or two would be a good idea!!!:D

Kell

Ah. I was brought to publish the thread as, in a lot of other threads in this category roughly dominated by blokes, a lot of people hinted at how much they hate women drivers. For the record, I just wanted to see how many people actually think women are poxy drivers.

Here's another thing slightly off topic which has been píssing me off of late. Dublin folk are automatically loaded on car insurance as they live in the capital. Why arent counties that show an abundance of fatalities loaded because more people die in the fúcking county? I think Dublin has the lowest fatal crash rate for the country.

Don1

It's the crime rate. The possibility of gettin your motor nicked and burned out by some scanger b*stard is greatly increased in Dub.

RoadRunner

the only reason why women's insurance is cheaper then men's is that women drive less then men, a lot less. This was definately the case a few years ago, but it's changing a little now me thinks.

I don't reckon women drivers are as good as men drivers. There are no f1,rally,indycar drivers, for a reason. In general women cannot control a car as good as men.

Chimaera

There are no f1,rally,indycar drivers, for a reason. In general women cannot control a car as good as men.

Bullsh1t!! Many women haven't been given the opportunity to partake in motorsport the way men have.

Bear in mind also that there have been women in high profile motorsport - Michele Mouton driving for Audi in the group B era in the 80's being a notable example. In Great Britain, there is a Ladies Rally championship. There have been quite a few female co-drivers in the WRC.

When it comes to driving on the road, I reckon it's six of one and half a dozen of the other - there are idiot men and idiot women on the roads.

RoadRunner

I reckon that of all racing drivers at most 1% are women, probably even less that.

Co-driving in rally requires a lot of bravery, but not really much car control skills. Rally drivers just sometimes prefer a woman in the car 'cause they tend to weight a little less then a man.

There are of course the idiots blokes who drive too hard and endanger everyone. But for the most part men can control cars better then women - The area of our brain responsible for co-ordination, as would be needed for driving cars fast, is actually bigger in men.

Neil3030

Actually it makes sense to have women in a sport like Formula 1, due to their smaller size and the potenital of a more aerodynamic and lighter car.

The only question would be, and i'm not saying that they can't, but could women last for 2-3 hours in boiling heat, at peak concentrational levels AND travelling at very high speeds?

People often underestimate the fitness levels that are required for formula one, both physically and mentally.

mike65

Do the women in your life be it sister mother or girlfriend/s blanche when the issue of reverse parrallel parking
is mentioned? They all do in mine!

I saw a woman attempting to reverse straight into a space at supermarket two weeks ago she had a car either side and one behind to look out for, it took her about 4 mins. I know cos I
watched before I went into the bank and then when I came back out she was still at it. When she finally decided enough was enough
her car was still at an obvious angle
to the ones either side. Still she did'nt hit anything...


Mike.

ando

well since i've started driving I've noticed how badly aware women drivers are of things going on around them. Today I was on Lombard street parked on the left side of the road waiting for my boss to arrive for a job. I was there minding my own business in the van, when a people carrier came along beside me with indicators blinking in my direction. The car was trying to park in the space infront of me.

First, the car reversed into the space getting extremely close to me. Then went forward to straighten up, then the reverse light came back on and BANG. The car had slammed into my van. People around just stopped what they were doing and starred at me and the car's driver. Then the carrier went forward and parked. About 30seconds later, the drivers door opened up and out got a middle aged women driver...

Lucky I wasnt in my car, she would of been destroyed :mad:

mike65

...all of which illustrates why the fairer sex are best suited to washing, hoovering and ironing...;)

[Me ducks for cover]

Mike.

Neil3030

Insurance company's synopsis:

1. Woman hit from behind by young whitevanman.
2. Jack up young man's premium.
3. Lower the woman's premium to help relieve the turmoil that the awful awful man left her in.

The system works.

Don1

About motorsport, there's some chick that used to race in the Belgian rally championship was tipped for a WRC seat eventually. Dunno wher she is now though.

Shanerie

I think both male and female driving in this country
is shockin desperate - women for driving poorly and
men for driving recklessly..

Still ive seen more blokes make stupid risks that could
end in a massive pile up..

Slow drivers are a risk , fast drivers a risk..

ahh lets all pack it in and take the bus.

Blitzkrieger

Originally posted by Chimaera
Bullsh1t!! Many women haven't been given the opportunity to partake in motorsport the way men have.

When they do get the opportunity they don't do anything with it. There was a woman driver in F1 years ago, who failed to qualify for a single race, while her teammate qualified for every race. The rule at the time was less harsh than it is now - I think you had to lap withing 15% of the pole time. There was also a woman in F1 2/3 years ago. She didn't grab any headlines and I think she's been let go.



But that's not the point. It's not a question of man v woman. It's male brain v female brain. Male brains make better drivers. It's not true in absolutly every case, but it is for the vast majority.