Are women better drivers?

[jc62b]

Hey, I think that women drivers would drive the car away if it had square wheels. They might think it was driving a bit rough but they would still drive it. An example of this would be with swmbo. She ran over a large Boulder on the road which meant replacing a tyre with under 2000 miles on it costing £120 because a car was coming in the opposite direction meaning she couldn't swerve around the Boulder. She failed to understand, when it was explained to her, that the middle pedal would have brought the car to a stop. Then she could have driven around said Boulder. Typical women driver imho.

 

[renault12ts]

Hey, I think that women drivers would drive the car away if it had square wheels. They might think it was driving a bit rough but they would still drive it. An example of this would be with swmbo. She ran over a large Boulder on the road which meant replacing a tyre with under 2000 miles on it costing £120 because a car was coming in the opposite direction meaning she couldn't swerve around the Boulder. She failed to understand, when it was explained to her, that the middle pedal would have brought the car to a stop. Then she could have driven around said Boulder. Typical women driver imho.

I empathise...my wife heard a strange noise so turned the radio volume up. The flat tyre was almost shredded by the time she reached home!

 

[jc62b]

Swmbo did the same. After hitting said Boulder, she drove the car next morning for about 2 miles before deciding that the car pulling to the left & having to fight the steering was not good. She finally stopped to check & discovered flat tyre. Needless to say she had to call a man, me, to change the wheel. She never even mentioned hitting the Boulder until I questioned the gouge in the tyre wall.

 

[Tim203]

The statistics say everything about statistics. It might as well be the chief medical officers' next announcement as to what we shouldn't eat or drink when no real consideration of the overall picture of things has been given. As for women drivers I've been driven by some very good ones indeed as I have been driven by equally bad male drivers and I'm sure people have said the same for me. What defines good though, fast, safe, or having some sort of mechanical sympathy for the car. Personally a combination and for me personally I never understand how someone male or female can operate a machine without having some idea of what the controls are actually doing. Mrs. 203 treats the major controls in our car like switches, on or off. The brakes are not applied, they are assaulted first and then relieved of pressure as required. Despite not enjoying being a passenger with my wife driving she has had a virtually claim free driving career. Does that make her a good driver? Not in my opinion but she is a safe driver and doesn't take unnecessary risks so in those terms better than I have done taking my early driving years into consideration. Added to which I'm always grateful for a lift home from the pub on a Friday night.

 

[brucemillar]

The OP is asking "are women better drivers ". We can all retell a tale, where a woman was not perceived by us to be a better driver than us, where our definition of our own driving standards is 100% perfection. Had the Op asked are men better drivers (visit the Driving Incidents / Road Rage section) then we would all be able to recount tales of driving that fell short of our high standards, carried out by men.

I think that there is no real driving standard anymore. It used to be the case that driving was taught as a thing to be proud of. A life skill that gave us freedom and fun as well as giving us choices in how we could live and work, look after our family etc. Now, it is a tool to get you from A, to B, nothing more, no skill required just get in, shut the door and aim in the general direction of travel. Should you upset your fellow travelers? Why worry. You don't have to meet them or have any social interaction with them. They, after all not at your high standards so can be considered idiots.

Sadly the same is true in most walks of life now. Very few people actually think about the consequences of their lack of thought or awareness, preffering to rely on others to carry the can and pick up the pieces.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Sadly the same is true in most walks of life now. Very few people actually think about the consequences of their lack of thought or awareness, preffering to rely on others to carry the can and pick up the pieces.

Never a truer word spoken.

 

[TheFoX]

I think the referral to 'lemmings' says it all.

In my grandads day, very few people owned cars, and those that did drove because they wanted to drive. Nowadays, everyone owns a car and everyone drives, simply because of necessity, and very few take driving as a pleasure, rather than a chore.

Back in the seventies and early eighties, I programmed computers all the way from Commodore PETs to PDP-11s Minis. The only people who had computers were those that desired them, and they knew how they worked. They were enthusiasts. These days, everyone has a computer, whether it be a desktop, laptop, pad or smart phone. They have become commonplace and no one has any real enthusiasm any more.

I think that is what defines those who love/want to drive, and those who simply drive. Enthusiasm. Judging by the large number of Plebmobiles on the road, many don't even consider a car a fashion statement, and will drive anything, even though any rational male or female would not be seen dead in such a vehicle.

So, the question of who is the better driver needs to be split in to two groups.

1) Do women enthusiasts make better drivers than their male enthusiasts?

2) Of the rest (the sheep), which sex is safer generally on the road?

When you take a hobby or ability and move it from the domain of the enthusiast to the general domain of everybody, you change the profile beyond recognition, and make it so commonplace that no one takes pride any more.

Back in the seventies and eighties, I was proud of my programming skill, yet in this day and age, no one cares any more. The same has happened to motoring. So many people are doing it that it becomes impossible to shine when there are so many imbeciles who's only reason to drive is to get from A to B, and have no passion for the drive, or the vehicle they have chosen to drive.

As some I have known have said, if it's got four wheels and a steering wheel, that is all they need to have. Sad that such a indifference to one of man's greatest achievements is so prevalent. Mass transport should be praised, not taken for granted.

So, do women make better drivers than men?

In my opinion, there are too many sheep who drive through necessity, and have no empathy for the road or the vehicle they drive. They simply drive, so regardless of their gender, they simply exist.

As for the enthusiasts, those who drive because they enjoy it, it is hard to determine which sex is the better driver. The simple fact that someone has chosen a specific type of vehicle, or chosen to drive a specific route, makes them a cut above the rest of the population.

I suppose there is one final class of driver. Those who buy something as a fashion statement, even though they have no passion to drive. Look at all those Chelsea Tractors and Bentley Continentals being driven, simply because they can afford to drive them. I would rather drive a Chelsea Tractor or a Bentley because I WANTED TO DRIVE THEM, than to simply show off to my neighbours that I can drive them.

I would say that most of the members of this forum are enthusiasts, who want a Merc, or whatever they drive, because they enjoy driving. I would imagine there is a small section of the community who are also badge snobs and own a Merc as a status symbol. Then there will be a tiny section of the community who own a Merc and have it sat on their drive simply to brag to the neighbours that they have a Merc, yet drive their Merc out of necessity rather than pleasure. Thankfully, most of us are enthusiasts, and not sheep.

 

[blondee]

Most woman are rubbish and they bring it down for the few of us that are actually really good!!

I consider myself a good driver. My Dad taught me to drive at 9 on private land in an old escort van... I'm not slow paced but I'm still careful and considerate. Unless you're really taking the mick, then I'll show you how it's done!!

 

[TheFoX]

Most woman are rubbish and they bring it down for the few of us that are actually really good!!

My mother once told me that she drives like a man. She went on to explain that women are not naturally good drivers because they don't understand the mechanics of a car, yet if a woman does understand the mechanics, she can class herself as a man driver.

I just love her sense of humour.

But she does hit a valid point. How many people actually have any idea what a clutch does, and why we let it slip for a hill start?

I come from an engineering background, and a practically family life, so everyone in my family was made aware of how vehicles work by our elders. From the clutch, to the gear box, to the internal combustion engine, we understand how that machine converts the liquid, or gas, fuel in to motion.

It is very much like our bodies. We all have them, but only the medical professionals know exactly how our bodies work. Mind you, it helps if we, as our own drivers, have an idea of how our bodies work, for maintenance purposes, so that we don't get diabetes, or recognise when we need the assistance of a medical professional before something breaks beyond repair.

 

[blondee]

How many people actually have any idea what a clutch does, and why we let it slip for a hill start? I come from an engineering background, and a practically family life, so everyone in my family was made aware of how vehicles work by our elders.

On that note I'm with your mother, I drive like a man with a practical knowledge of cars from a racing family background. Fit my first horn at 11 into a corvette stingray!! Lol!!