Are Men Better Drivers than Women?

OH! OH! this should be interesting

 

I suppose it depends on the what the definition of "better" is. If, as the insurance industry asserts, it's who's less likely to engage in high-speed and/or risky driving practices, then I suppose the article is correct. However, it's also fair to say that insurance companies are known to be somewhat myopic. A male driver may be more "aggressive", feel more "confident" in their abilities, and therefore drive in a "reckless" manner, but these are all gross generalizations (and defined by the insurance companies, themselves). I think insurance companies, like DMVs and the Courts, take the easy road and look at the statistics as opposed to the individual driver's true abilities.

That said, it's likely true that more males are involved in high-speed accidents that involve fatalities. I have no basis for this belief other than my personal observations. So, as far as they go (and what they measure), insurance company premiums do reflect the relative riskiness of the male driver.

That said, if women were "better" drivers, wouldn't we see them populating F1, Indycar, ALMS, NASCRAP and all other race series in far greater numbers? Notwithstanding the "male-dominated" aspects of the sport, team owners want to win, and sponsors reward winners. So, if women had the "goods" so to speak, wouldn't they be sitting in race seats? Of course, I'm assuming that race drivers are "better".

But, that's just me.

CW

 

Women have MORE accidents than men do but they are less serious accidents.

 

Maybe the "longer ring finger than index finger" helps men grip the steering wheel better?

 

I agree with above men cause more damage property/fatal, since they wreck at higher speeds but women get into far far more accidents ranging from bumping the bumpers into things, and scraping the wheels on the curb. to the big stuff saw a pretty bad accident 3 days ago woman in 4runner with 2 kids pulls out of a side street in front of motorcyle motorcyle t bones her, both drivers lived thankfully she was going about 5mph when she got hit its just the inatentive non concentrating on driving that typical women display thats the issue.

as far as rates i guess more damage means men pay more.

 

YES

 

Women would be much better drivers IF THEY COULD EVER PUT THE DAMN CELL PHONE DOWN!!!!!

 

Agree.

Ken

 

From my experience women are not better drivers. Heck, my sister has way more crashes than everybody in our family combined. But I will say that the study is true. I know I was a reckless driver when I was young.

Young females may be "safer" drivers than young males. But, males still have better driving skills than females.

 

I agree with this quote...but for EVERYBODY. Actually, here in California I almost get hit on a daily basis...and it is almost always someone using a cellphone...and its usually a man-not a woman.

 

ZINGARA 250GTL" Women would be much better drivers IF THEY COULD EVER PUT THE DAMN CELL PHONE DOWN!!!!!"


...and their lipstick, their eyeliner,their hairbrush,their eye shadow, their coffee, their notepad, their day planner, etc. etc.

 

Yes, men are better drivers than women. I've yet to ride in a vehicle with a woman driving, and feel safe.

 

Men drive quickly because we have testosterone which makes us stupid. However, I submit we have better:

- Reflexes/coordination
- Quick thinking in emergency situations
- Ability to judge distances/size of our vehicle

I don't care about political correctness so I'm going to say that the above attributes make guys inherently predisposed to being better drivers. And the fastest drivers I've seen are young girls so the insurance companies have it backwards.

 

Very nice try, Jessica.

 

Well, yeah. But, women are immortal.

 

Now I really feel bad about using my Blackberry when driving ( but never in the Ferrari)

 

Most Foreigner womens are worst driver than American womens

 

See, See. I told you so!. Use the Blackberry in the Toyota. At least you can leave an untarnished Ferrari to someone who can enjoy it.

 

+1, although that goes for everyone. Maybe if we had mandatory Tubi exhausts no one could hear their phone and they'd have to shut up and drive.

You get hit every day?!?

 

By the measurement method the insurance companies use, sure.

Unfortunately, they conveniently don't take into account the dangers of the more "passive" women. By that, I mean the number of crashes caused by passive drivers, by ever-so-carefully acting as unpredictable obstacles, which may suddenly slow (your fault for rear-ending her), change lanes long after everyone else has assumed that her turn blilnker has been stuck/forgotten in the Left/Right position, false starts from stop signs/lights (you step on the gas at about the same moment she "thinks" she sees another car not slow down enough to stop), etc....
They usually (O.K., almost always) continue on, without any awareness or concern for the pile-up they caused in their wake.

I loathe these drivers, women, or men, and often in minivans, SUVs, or little econo-boxes, and yes, just as often, on the phone.

 

We may see exactly that eventually. Every instructor I have ever spoken with has said that, overall, female students are smoother, more consistent and just plain quicker around the track than men. They learn faster, remember more and don't let their hormones or ego impede their progress. All that needs to happen for more women to be successful at the higher levels of racing is for more girls get into the racing pipeline (e.g., through karting).

As to the article that started the thread: IMO the most dangerous drivers are the young and the old, the former due to red mist and inexperience and the latter due to diminished physical and cognitive abilities. It will never happen, but I would actually like to see drivers under 21 and over 75 be subject to lower speed limits and be prohibited from using the passing lane. The insurance companies seem to focus on testosterone poisoning as the source of most accidents but I agree with others here who have made the point that at least over time inattentiveness is a much more significant factor.

 

You may get a lot more P**** for saying that now. Later, not so much. Cheers.

 

Anything's possible, and you're likely right that as more girls come through the ranks, we'll see more women in race seats on Sundays. To some extent, karting does reward the lower weight of the smaller female (unless all racers are ballasted), so we would naturally expect to see the lightest drivers do the best, all things being equal. That's not been the case to date, though.

However, I think that to be a top race driver, you have to be comfortable being on the edge of the limit. That may only be possible for "aggressive" types. Certainly not saying that women can't be aggressive, but the reality is that aggression is a more masculine trait on the whole.

Women may listen more, don't think they know it all, and thusly learn faster, but, in the end, it may still be more about risk acceptance (and embracement) for the top racers. Some aggressive, thrill-seeking behaviour is necessary to occupy those seats, and it's harnessed in the best possible ways. It does take a special breed to strap in, knowing that this could be the last session. Mostly, they don't think of the possible consequences. Frankly, I see men as more willing to bury those thoughts. So, maybe it's more psychological than it is physical. Regardless, I have no issues with women racing.

CW

 

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