Jonola14

Battle of the Sexes - DRIVING

If ever there was a topic that had a 100% money-back guarantee of causing a needless argument between a man and a woman, then the ‘who’s a better driver’ debate would qualify. After hours of research, numerous interviews and countless arguments, I believe that I have come up with a solution that can erase any potential conflict between the sexes on this matter. All you have to do is read on, take notes, and refer to this jotting whenever the argument breaks out.

“Better drivers - men or women?”
The underlying problem here is in the definition and insinuation of the phrase ‘better driver’. Better at what? Which part of driving? There are so many procedures, manoeuvres, exercises and rules involved with driving that it is highly unlikely that one gender is going to be consistently able to perform them more efficiently than the other. Consider the following example…..

1) A car is stopped at a particularly busy t-junction and is indicating left. Inside the car is a man and a woman.

If the man is at the wheel, he will pull out at the first sight of an acceptable gap in the traffic and go up through the gears highly competently and fairly quickly, so as not to slow down or offend the driver of the vehicle behind.
If the woman is driving, she will wait and wait and wait, winding up the impatient males in the cars behind, until there is a long, clear opening in the oncoming flow of traffic before setting off and accelerating through the gears in a more relaxed fashion.

PROBLEM: who is the ‘better driver’ here?
If a ‘better driver’ is defined as more capable of using the controls of the car whilst under pressure, then the man wins. Yet if a ‘better driver’ is defined as more cautious and safety-conscious, whatever the time delays and effect on other drivers, then the woman wins.

It is my opinion that the solution to this debate can be found in the breakdown and analysis of the overall tenet of driving. I believe that the control of a vehicle incorporates the amalgamation of the following characteristics: physical co-ordination, spatial awareness, courtesy for other drivers, safety, and time management.

It is simply not possible for one gender to be universally better at all of these features, and staking in a claim in such a way just demonstrates plain narrow-mindedness.

My conclusion is thus:
Men are generally more able to control a vehicle through superior physical co-ordination and confidence in their ability. They are also able to judge gaps in traffic and parking spaces better than women. Where they falter is that they take too many risks. They become over-confident and believe in their abilities too much. Men tend to drive quicker than women and sometimes put the desire to ‘get there soon’ ahead of assured safety.

Women find the co-ordination side of driving more difficult and have to concentrate on their own actions more than men. Their spatial awareness isn’t as good and they sometimes struggle to correctly judge parking spaces. However, women are far better when it comes to safety and courtesy. If the journey takes an extra 20 minutes, then so be it, as long as everybody arrives safely. They are also more patient and will wait until the right moment before making any movement.

So if the debate crops up sometime in the future, remember this article and understand the compromise that exists here.

FOR THE MAN: if she’s banging on about how men have more accidents statistically then simply agree. But please don’t hesitate to point out that you don’t see women in the cockpit of a Formula One car, nor crashing through the gears of a World Championship Rally Subaru Impreza.

FOR THE WOMAN: if he’s continually bragging about how men can park quicker and more easily than women, remind him that men drive a lot more and so have more practice, yet still get involved in many more accidents.

THEREFORE…..
Men are more co-ordinated drivers, women are safer.