- Joined
- Nov 10, 2014
- Messages
- 1,764
We've all seen our fair share of accidents, regardless of which gender was at the wheel. But who do you think is the better driver: men or women?
Through our own experiences, perceptions, and influences our brains decide who we view as the better driver. For many of us, as is displayed in many TV Shows and Movies, men remain the better, dominant, confident driver.
"Women drivers" is commonly used as a negative term by both men and women worldwide.
How did she get in an accident? Is that a woman causing a traffic jam? "Must be a woman driving eh!" We hear this so often, and by so many people that it is ingrained in us to expect women to be bad drivers, or at least, not as good as men. We are shocked when we see viral youtube videos of stunt women drifting, racing, and skillfully terrifying and/or thrilling their passengers with their impressive moves. "Wheyyy that's a woman?! How?!"
Let's flip the coin. How did he get in an accident? Is he causing a traffic jam? "He was or must have been speeding/sleeping/car malfunctioned/got bad drive/was driving like an @$$." Look at that skilled stunt man in that video. "Wheyyyy he dread! He good yes. Check them skills!"
Let's try it again.
Weird huh? I have to admit, I made a typo on the last one and originally wrote "stunt man" instead of "stunt woman" while thinking about the responses I was writing to the driver. Funny how the brain works!
I'm not saying everyone thinks this way, but I have noticed that this is a very common mentality in society.
To get to the root of the bad rep female drivers have, I think most complaints are usually with minor accidents or exhibits of poor driving skills. These are usually called out with "go back and learn to drive nah gyul" etc. Prime examples are women being afraid to drive through two rows of vehicles, especially on narrow roads; women afraid of overtaking or of being overtaken; women afraid of the highway or driving on busy roads or in traffic; women parking improperly or not using their signals, etc. Many of these problems could be due to a lack of confidence, inadequate driving experience on the road, not enough experience despite the driving exam, and/or just fear of being a "woman driver" on the road when she may be judged by her sex just by sitting in the car. Confidence and practice could help a lot there, but I suppose negative stereotypes may not be as helpful as we think.
When we hear about speeding, DUIs, and road rage most people assume the driver is male, however. Conversely to the unconfident and inexperienced stereotypical female driver, are we stereotyping men as overconfident and aggressive?
From my experience, it is much more likely to hear of men driving underage and being taught to drive years before they approach the legal permit age. According to many statistics reports, men typically have more miles clocked, and percentages are significantly higher for male drivers when it comes to speeding and DUIs. It is common for women to be taught by their spouses, relatives, friends, or driving instructors at or after the legal permit age. Does more experience lead the majority of males to be overconfident or is this just what many of us subconsciously believe?
Though this does not by any means apply to every driver, based on common mentalities it would seem that society generally believes so. There are indeed star drivers regardless of gender just as well as there are poor ones. But we acknowledge the term "women drivers" negatively and the term "men drivers" well - it doesn't have quite the same effect, does it? Not all inexperienced drivers are women, and not all aggressive drivers are men.
From my own experience, I've noticed that men are more confident on the road and this usually comes from many years of experience (as many of them have stated). Most male drivers insist that they must be driving when in a car with other drivers, and in many cases, female drivers concede to this and revert to passenger status, losing out on more valuable driving experience. Many men are so insistent of this that they may exhibit signs of physical illness when reverted to a passenger status themselves. Others are teased for mashing invisible pedals from the passenger side and/or being too forceful or controlling of any other person driving but themselves (i.e. backseat driving), in addition to popularizing "passenger road rage". I've also noticed that male drivers are more prone to aggressive behavior, such as road rage, whether it is verbally abusing other drivers or intentionally giving someone a "bad drive" to teach them a lesson. This can cause accidents, traffic jams, and seriously annoy and irritate other drivers.
I've noticed that female drivers are more reluctant to exhibit typical signs of road rage and though many lack the experience and confidence of a stereotypical male driver, most female drivers use these qualities (or lack thereof) to either avoid imposing their vehicles on the road, or superimpose themselves inappropriately. Either extreme can cause traffic jams, accidents, and seriously annoy and irritate other drivers. Many consider themselves not experienced enough to drive with a male driver present and despite having licenses or years of experience, will ask or allow an insisting male driver to take their place at the wheel if driving together, losing valuable driving experience and conditioning themselves to passenger status or a secondary driver.
Despite what we say and think as a society, female drivers receive insurance discounts because they are statistically considered safer drivers. One local insurance company told me that if an accident occurs with a female driver, it is more likely that someone else instigated the accident and/or that it will be a minor accident with little to no real damage i.e. there is a lesser chance of female drivers needing to make claims in comparison to the expected more serious accidents and resultant claims of male drivers based on statistics. Additionally, we advertise vehicles as lady driven as a positive point when attempting to buy/sell vehicles. I have been told by those that buy/sell that this is because lady driven vehicles are expected to be kept in better condition and are not as expected to have been in an accident.
Double standards much?
It does not matter what your gender is or how you identify sexually. If you are an inexperienced driver with little to no confidence, what you have in your pants will not change that. Ditto for overconfident aggressive drivers. What makes a good driver, regardless of who you are or what you look like, is the amount of practice and experience you have, equipped with common courtesy, quick and sound judgement, and fair amounts of confidence needed for operating heavy machinery in public where you risk not only your own life, but those of countless others as well. Each car you see on the road, each pedestrian you see at the crosswalk, each animal you see roaming the streets; even if you only pass them for a brief second as unimportant blurs in your busy day, are all lives in your hands when you choose to get behind the wheel. They are lives that deserve experienced, courteous, just drivers of vehicles that can too easily become weapons in inadequate hands.
To answer my question of who is the better driver, here is my checklist:
The driver that can check off all of those things is the best and most adequately prepared to get behind the wheel, whether male or female. Driving, as with everything else, is something that has to be learned. If you are lacking in experience, practice more driving and familiarizing yourself with your vehicle and the roadways. If you are an aggressive driver, practice common courtesy and familiarize yourself with safe driving practices. More practice and regular reality checks can help a great deal of "bad" drivers, especially with regards to preparedness in dangerous situations.
At the end of the day, these are my personal views based on my own experiences and perceptions. What are yours?
Through our own experiences, perceptions, and influences our brains decide who we view as the better driver. For many of us, as is displayed in many TV Shows and Movies, men remain the better, dominant, confident driver.
"Women drivers" is commonly used as a negative term by both men and women worldwide.
How did she get in an accident? Is that a woman causing a traffic jam? "Must be a woman driving eh!" We hear this so often, and by so many people that it is ingrained in us to expect women to be bad drivers, or at least, not as good as men. We are shocked when we see viral youtube videos of stunt women drifting, racing, and skillfully terrifying and/or thrilling their passengers with their impressive moves. "Wheyyy that's a woman?! How?!"
Let's flip the coin. How did he get in an accident? Is he causing a traffic jam? "He was or must have been speeding/sleeping/car malfunctioned/got bad drive/was driving like an @$$." Look at that skilled stunt man in that video. "Wheyyyy he dread! He good yes. Check them skills!"
Let's try it again.
- How did he get in an accident? "Must be a man driving eh!" Look at that skilled stunt man in that video. "Wheyyyy that's a man?! How?!"
- How did she get in an accident? "She was or must have been speeding/sleeping/car malfunctioned/got bad drive/was driving like an @$$." Look at that skilled stunt woman in that video. "Wheyyyy she dread! She good yes. Check them skills!"
Weird huh? I have to admit, I made a typo on the last one and originally wrote "stunt man" instead of "stunt woman" while thinking about the responses I was writing to the driver. Funny how the brain works!
I'm not saying everyone thinks this way, but I have noticed that this is a very common mentality in society.
To get to the root of the bad rep female drivers have, I think most complaints are usually with minor accidents or exhibits of poor driving skills. These are usually called out with "go back and learn to drive nah gyul" etc. Prime examples are women being afraid to drive through two rows of vehicles, especially on narrow roads; women afraid of overtaking or of being overtaken; women afraid of the highway or driving on busy roads or in traffic; women parking improperly or not using their signals, etc. Many of these problems could be due to a lack of confidence, inadequate driving experience on the road, not enough experience despite the driving exam, and/or just fear of being a "woman driver" on the road when she may be judged by her sex just by sitting in the car. Confidence and practice could help a lot there, but I suppose negative stereotypes may not be as helpful as we think.
When we hear about speeding, DUIs, and road rage most people assume the driver is male, however. Conversely to the unconfident and inexperienced stereotypical female driver, are we stereotyping men as overconfident and aggressive?
From my experience, it is much more likely to hear of men driving underage and being taught to drive years before they approach the legal permit age. According to many statistics reports, men typically have more miles clocked, and percentages are significantly higher for male drivers when it comes to speeding and DUIs. It is common for women to be taught by their spouses, relatives, friends, or driving instructors at or after the legal permit age. Does more experience lead the majority of males to be overconfident or is this just what many of us subconsciously believe?
Though this does not by any means apply to every driver, based on common mentalities it would seem that society generally believes so. There are indeed star drivers regardless of gender just as well as there are poor ones. But we acknowledge the term "women drivers" negatively and the term "men drivers" well - it doesn't have quite the same effect, does it? Not all inexperienced drivers are women, and not all aggressive drivers are men.
From my own experience, I've noticed that men are more confident on the road and this usually comes from many years of experience (as many of them have stated). Most male drivers insist that they must be driving when in a car with other drivers, and in many cases, female drivers concede to this and revert to passenger status, losing out on more valuable driving experience. Many men are so insistent of this that they may exhibit signs of physical illness when reverted to a passenger status themselves. Others are teased for mashing invisible pedals from the passenger side and/or being too forceful or controlling of any other person driving but themselves (i.e. backseat driving), in addition to popularizing "passenger road rage". I've also noticed that male drivers are more prone to aggressive behavior, such as road rage, whether it is verbally abusing other drivers or intentionally giving someone a "bad drive" to teach them a lesson. This can cause accidents, traffic jams, and seriously annoy and irritate other drivers.
I've noticed that female drivers are more reluctant to exhibit typical signs of road rage and though many lack the experience and confidence of a stereotypical male driver, most female drivers use these qualities (or lack thereof) to either avoid imposing their vehicles on the road, or superimpose themselves inappropriately. Either extreme can cause traffic jams, accidents, and seriously annoy and irritate other drivers. Many consider themselves not experienced enough to drive with a male driver present and despite having licenses or years of experience, will ask or allow an insisting male driver to take their place at the wheel if driving together, losing valuable driving experience and conditioning themselves to passenger status or a secondary driver.
Despite what we say and think as a society, female drivers receive insurance discounts because they are statistically considered safer drivers. One local insurance company told me that if an accident occurs with a female driver, it is more likely that someone else instigated the accident and/or that it will be a minor accident with little to no real damage i.e. there is a lesser chance of female drivers needing to make claims in comparison to the expected more serious accidents and resultant claims of male drivers based on statistics. Additionally, we advertise vehicles as lady driven as a positive point when attempting to buy/sell vehicles. I have been told by those that buy/sell that this is because lady driven vehicles are expected to be kept in better condition and are not as expected to have been in an accident.
Double standards much?
It does not matter what your gender is or how you identify sexually. If you are an inexperienced driver with little to no confidence, what you have in your pants will not change that. Ditto for overconfident aggressive drivers. What makes a good driver, regardless of who you are or what you look like, is the amount of practice and experience you have, equipped with common courtesy, quick and sound judgement, and fair amounts of confidence needed for operating heavy machinery in public where you risk not only your own life, but those of countless others as well. Each car you see on the road, each pedestrian you see at the crosswalk, each animal you see roaming the streets; even if you only pass them for a brief second as unimportant blurs in your busy day, are all lives in your hands when you choose to get behind the wheel. They are lives that deserve experienced, courteous, just drivers of vehicles that can too easily become weapons in inadequate hands.
To answer my question of who is the better driver, here is my checklist:
- well practiced
- experienced on the roads with real life scenarios
- experienced with the vehicle they are driving
- experienced with safe driving practices in motion or not
- common courtesy
- quick and sound judgement
- fair amounts of confidence
- being legally allowed to drive the vehicle they are operating
The driver that can check off all of those things is the best and most adequately prepared to get behind the wheel, whether male or female. Driving, as with everything else, is something that has to be learned. If you are lacking in experience, practice more driving and familiarizing yourself with your vehicle and the roadways. If you are an aggressive driver, practice common courtesy and familiarize yourself with safe driving practices. More practice and regular reality checks can help a great deal of "bad" drivers, especially with regards to preparedness in dangerous situations.
At the end of the day, these are my personal views based on my own experiences and perceptions. What are yours?
Last edited: