On ‘Women Drivers’
With the year, Two thousand and sixteen upon us, it is no secret that the feminist movement that gained popularity in the ‘60s and ‘70s is stronger than ever. Women all over the world are working, leading conglomerates and billion dollar companies, exercising their democraticrights by voting and participating in government, taking back the night and generally, giving men a run for their money. They even drive! Well, sort of.
How many times you have been seated next to a driver who made a comment about the terrible driving of a fellow road user before coming to the conclusion that the driver had to be a woman? It could be that they were driving too slow forcing everyone to overtake, taking too long to clear the exit causing a minor build up, taking forever to reverse into a parking spot or simply indicating too early or too late. It seems that the world over, bad driving and women are synonymous. But are women drivers really that terrible?
Well, according to AAA, the answer is actually both yes and no. Frustrating, huh? But they do raise an important question: what essentially constitutes bad driving? Is it a case of being confident on the road or simply being careful? A recent study showed that men were more willing to take more risks on the road by ignoring seatbelts, exceeding speed limits, driving while intoxicated or even driving too close to other cars on the road. Do these all indicate their levels of confidence on the road thus making them better drivers?
Women on the other hand are more careful on the road. It was found that in the event of an accident, men were 25% more likely to be at fault. See, the aforementioned risky behavior makes them more likely to cause accidents that result in bodily harm. This could mean that women are essentially better drivers.
It should be noted that the stereotype that women are generally bad drivers could lead to the lack of confidence on the roads seen in some women. By having it drummed into their brains that they can never be as good as their male counterparts, women tend to shy away from the roads. However, with more and more women taking up the mantle and venturing out on the roads, the confidence levels are slowly building up. Who knows, maybe someday soon, they will be racing matatus on Thika superhighway like the best of them. Until next week, I’m Yvonne. Stay frosty. To get a male perspective on this, please CLICK HERE to read my colleague Mitch’s views
