Myths About Women Drivers and Why They Aren’t True
Myths About Women Drivers and Why They Aren’t True
Every now and then, we come across a YouTube video of a poor woman trying to parallel park or reverse into a parking spot without any success. Yes, it’s true that most women don’t really care about their car’s exact horsepower nor do they spend hours buffing it. But they do care about safety and traffic regulations, even more than men, according to some studies. If you still think women are bad drivers. Here are some common myths about women drivers and reasons why they are nothing but old wives’ tales.
Women can’t park
Yeah, parking is hard, and there are hundreds of videos of women struggling to park. However, even though it might be interesting and funny to watch. These are isolated incidents and there are no scientific findings that women can’t park.
Women cause more accidents
According to studies, auto accidents that kill or injure pedestrians involve male drivers in 80% of the cases. Female drivers are often less likely to be found guilty of an accident when involved in a car crash. In 2007 alone, men were involved in 6.1 million auto accidents, while women were part of 4.4 million accidents. More than 40,000 involving men accidents were fatal, while only 14,000 accidents involving women ended in death.
Accidents caused by women are nowhere near as serious as those caused by men since they usually drive slower and more carefully. However, these statistics don’t take into consideration that there are more men behind the wheel than women and the fact that men drive more. Regardless, women seem to be pretty safe drivers, which is illustrated by insurance rates. Car insurance is usually cheaper for women than for men, and the difference sometimes reaches more than $100.
Women commit more traffic violations
When looking at statistics of traffic violations from police reports and traffic fines issued, men dominate every category. They are more likely to get a ticket for reckless driving, seat belt or speeding, stop signal violations and failure to comply. Again, men do drive more than women, but still, there are no data that say women break more traffic violations. One specific traffic violation that men are significantly more prone to committing than women is driving under the influence. In the US in 2007, men were given a DUI 626,000 times, while women only got 162,000 DUIs.
Women don’t understand traffic
According to polls, a lot of men don’t know traffic regulations but drive relying on their intuition. In driving schools, instructors say that women listen more attentively and are ready to take driving advice and tips. While men usually think they already know how to drive which results in learning traffic rules wrong. If you want to become a good driver, make sure you find an affordable driving school and book a good instructor. Pay attention and always keep your head in the game and eyes on the road.
But why are men more reckless than women?
There’s no definite answer to this question. Experts think that men are more aggressive behind the wheel and take more risks because of their higher testosterone levels. Fueled by hormones, men are more likely to speed, engage in reckless driving, make hasty decisions, drive under the influence and thus make more mistakes. Young males and businessmen in a hurry are most likely to speed and break traffic rules. The wish to show off, a tight schedule plus the fact that fast cars and fast driving boost testosterone production all push male drivers to drive faster and more recklessly.
However, no matter your gender, make sure to drive safely and obey traffic regulations and speed limits. Remember that every time you are reckless behind the wheel, you are risking your life and the life of innocent people. Be responsible and have a safe and stress-free ride!
