Are female or male drivers worse?

[EAsyS-pack]

It is widely accepted that male drivers are worse than female drivers. However, I do not agree.

Statistics suggest that a large amount of on-road single-car accidents are caused by youth under the age of 25, regardless of their gender. Male drivers do share a big portion of these statistics, but remember that there is a ratio of 2:1 of male to female youth on the road.

After 25 years of age, it becomes apparent that many female drivers have not learned past what they were taught in driver ed. etc... Hence they are no better drivers. They do not learn how to 'feel' how the car is acting (how much yaw/body roll there is in a corner and how to predict the varying degrees of g-force within a corner) and often don't even know the average minimum/maximum braking distance of their own car.

Males who progress past this 25 year old point will most likely have learned a little about car control, not only if they have pushed themselves, but because of the more interested analytical attitude that people posess when undertaking an activity that they enjoy.

That brings me to another point. Males tend to enjoy driving more than females. Many, many female drivers see it as a chore, whereas males like it and are therefore more inclined to try and perfect the 'art' that is driving. Sure, you get the occasional idiot hoon that is out there driving past their own ability, but another statistic states that almost 100% of hoons are under 25 years of age.
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When it comes to determining which sex causes the highest number of collisions, it will shock you to know that both men and women are equal...

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Many driving instructors report that they don’t notice any difference in aggression and skill between men and women. Even though studies show women in general are better at multi-tasking, this does not appear to apply to driving. That’s why even women shouldn’t be tuning the radio, checking their makeup, engaging in philosophical conversations with their passengers or talking on their cell phone while driving.

Fact or Fiction? Young Male Drivers Cause the Most Car Accidents
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This article contradicts the previous.

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Both statistical data and empirical studies have revealed definite differences in the driving behavior of male and female drivers. They demonstrate that men are involved in more car crashes than women, and commit most of the serious traffic violations. Furthermore, accidents that male drivers are involved in tend to be more severe and expensive to cover.
Women, on the other hand, are involved in fewer auto-related incidents, and consequently file fewer accident claims. They are less likely to be involved in accidents that involve injury, death and extensive vehicle damage. This means that women are a better insurance risk, which qualifies them for lower auto insurance rates that make car insurance for woman motorists cheaper than men’s...


Why Car Insurance for Woman Drivers is Cheaper: How Gender Differences Qualify Women for Lower Auto Insurance Rates
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...statistics also show that while men do tend to have more accidents, the frequency has remained relatively stable over the years. With more women obtaining their driver's license over the last three decades, the number of car accidents they're involved in has risen. In fact, 2004 statistics have also shown that when accidents were matched in terms of severity, female deaths were much more prevalent...

Battle of the Sexes
It seems female drivers kill themselves more?
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Discuss.

[CaRtZ]

statistically males due to dlckhead young blokes writting themselves off doin silly shit. put a male and female of equal driving experience in a car niether of them are familiar with and get them to carryout simple driving manouvers. males get marked down due to risk however parking etc is where women fall down.

all comes down to the individual.

[bigdell]

if you believe male drivers to be worse then women drivers, answer this question. what % of racing car drivers at the top level are female.

[ed40]

probably because you will find .0005% of women are really that interested in motorsport!

[LTDHO]

Fact is most drivers on the road are male, so it makes sence that more accidents are by male drivers. Doesn't make men worse, it's just the odds are against us.

Count how many women drivers you see on the way home from work. Probably 1%.

[SnyperEB]

Fact is most drivers on the road are male, so it makes sence that more accidents are by male drivers. Doesn't make men worse, it's just the odds are against us.

Count how many women drivers you see on the way home from work. Probably 1%.

Agreed!

[bushman]

Count how many women drivers you see on the way home from work. Probably 1%.

I see heaps of chicks driving around, probly cause i'm looking for their P (PERVE) plates lol.
After must research i must say that a moderate percentage of chicks i see driving that are "attractive" drive suzuki swifts, and after about 3 months of noticing the connection of swift and Hot woman, i noticed that Woman, commenly referred to as having a face like a smashed crab started to drive, swifts, as swifts have the nick name with my mates as "the hot chicks car"
Meaning that most ugly birds drive swifts because they want some attention.

More closely related to the topic, Asian Woman, are crappy drivers.

[eb-baby]

It's all statistics and stereotypes. Not all young males are raging hoons and not all older males can drive as awesome as they think they can because they got their license before you were born. Just the same as not all younger females are bimbos who run up your ass because they're too busy looking in the mirror and there's no way in hell that all the soccer mums are more responsible because they have kids in the car, i've seen women do things that i would never do in my car by myself (and im not exactly conservative when it comes to driving), and there were kids in the car!

Agreed on the asian women comment and swift drivers piss me off!

But it all comes down to the individual in the end, I wouldnt classify myself as a super excellent driver i make my mistakes but I can sure as hell park my car a lot better than a lot of males I know, unfortunately for my passenger side doors some people can't park to save their own life.
People can be good at one aspect of driving and not so good at another, doesnt always automatically make them a bad driver.

[Troutman]

It's important to realise that statistics are not only prone to being misused, but also change significantly over time. The traditionally passive role of women has changed in society, leading to a higher probability of overconfident driving. In turn, more serious accidents, though presumably still far less than the 'show off' young male stereotype.

When I did the advanced driving course, we were taught that the biggest killer is not speed, but distraction. Presumably this is seldom mentioned by the TAC because there is less revenue-raising involved compared to speed cameras. One moment stuffing around with an iPod or cellphone at an inopportune moment means a complete loss of one's reaction and braking time. It can make the difference between crashing at full speed or having sufficient time to brake. The oh-so-fasionable cellphone addiction is my biggest concern with young female drivers, as it is worse than even drink-driving or other widely demonised activities. I expect future statistics will increasingly reveal this trend.

That said, little is to be gained from a battle of the sexes; each individual has a responsibility to have reasonable awareness of their limitations, appropriate driving for the conditions, possible hazards and so forth. There is always a risk factor, but by following a few basic rules and respecting the fact that driving is intrinsically dangerous, anyone can drastically reduce the probability of disaster.

[SVD]

women in 4wd's and SUV's are the worse drivers i have ever come across!!!
i believe two points come into this argument
1: a lot of the female drivers i know believe that because they are a female that the males should allow them special privileges when driving and men should let them do what they want when they want
2:when they get in 4wd's they are even worse because they have that same mentality as well as thinking they are invincible because they are in a 4wd.

my 2c's

[Eb Barbie]

Simple fact, boys are hoons therefore us gals are better

[pHaT`eL]

Coming from someone who has a turbo eb and a V8...

[Dezza]

I've found while men are more prone to stupid crashes (eg. pushing the car too hard, running off the road etc.), men are generally better at parking etc. For example, I know my 23 year old sister was very proud she managed to reverse park for the first time recently. I could do it when I was 16. My mum can't reverse a trailer at all. I was reversing trailers around the farm when I was about 15. So there are strengths and weaknesses to both (and I'm aware my driving record doesn't do the male gender any favours)

[Eb Barbie]

Coming from someone who has a turbo eb and a V8...

lol

[bushman]

I've found while men are more prone to stupid crashes (eg. pushing the car too hard, running off the road etc.)

+1
I nearlly put me and my mate off the edge of mt Gravatt at 80-90, while its not the tallest, or the windiest i still wouldn't like to go over the edge be a while before you stopped if you missed all the trees, Only thing that saved us was the fact the EL has half decent braking capacity and the ABS, but still as the caar went over bumps and weight was coming off the wheels as the car travelled over the bumps it still was locking up a touch, morale of the story, dont drive too fast on a goat track.

[Bipolar]

I'd like to know what % of crashes are caused by a third party that get to drive off unawares of what they are done.

Like the person who cuts you off, or slams on their brakes for no reason you have to avoid, etc, etc. Most of these a caused by distraction or lack on concentration by the other driver, which I typically find is female. They are on the phone or Ipod or talking to friends or just not checking mirrors/blind spots.

So its me that has the accident avoiding their stupidity, yet I'm the statistic.

[EAsyS-pack]

I'd like to know what % of crashes are caused by a third party that get to drive off unawares of what they are done.

Like the person who cuts you off, or slams on their brakes for no reason you have to avoid, etc, etc. Most of these a caused by distraction or lack on concentration by the other driver, which I typically find is female. They are on the phone or Ipod or talking to friends or just not checking mirrors/blind spots.

So its me that has the accident avoiding their stupidity, yet I'm the statistic.

I know this is digging up an ancient thread, but the above reminds me so much of what my mother said once, "I've never had an accident, but I have no idea how many I've caused."

I've been a victim of one of these careless drivers, but it was actually some dude in a commodore's fault who cut me off with about a meter of space between bumpers, slammed his brakes on when said careless driver did the same for no reason up ahead then fled the scene.

It isn't fun.

[iCER]

hang on....

the topic poll is missing 'asians'.

Females are worse as they drive 10km under speed limit as they are fixing their face 90% of the time. Which frustrates us behind them, so we try overtake to do normal speeds, but end up becoming a statistic. Is the lady who caused the accident a statistic? no.

[.tapeworm]

My sisters Pulsar is pretty carved up, but then so is my bro's Subaru- both don't give a flying phuck about cars & wouldnt know what a spark plug is-I think there may be something in this. Ladies generally don't care about driving etc. so put less effort into it. i have to say females seem less logical which is a huge part of driving. flamesuit zipped up

[sec]

OH MY GOD this is really gunna open a can of worms?

[Staff]

sec I don't think so.

The stats for this will never be accurate due to all the varibles, also it's easier for us guys to let women think they are better.

[Bipolar]

It's as simple as this: Females are less spatially aware than males. Always have been. Some manage to learn how to be more; most don't.

[*Shufflin*]

1. Most other females I know cannot drive at all, a girl I know got her licence by wearing a low cut top, first drive smashed her car as she went wrong way around a roundabout (yes I know how do you stuff that up???)....

2. Another got hers after sitting for her test 10 times and failing, her partner (after trying to convince her driving was not in her best interests) drove her to the middle of nowhere for her final test so they did not know her and there was no other traffic. She also rocked up heavily preggers and cried so the poor test guy just handed a licence to her to get her out of there…. She still cannot drive 20 years later

3. Most women also cannot be told, try to tell them they need to learn to drive better or are causing hazards on the road...I dare you. If you want to start world war 3 this is the best avenue to proceed down. Being a female myself if I try and offer helpful advice to them it seems to be even worse. Plus the age old excuse ‘I am a female I am supposed to drive terribly’ comes out.

4. Women think they are capable of carrying out tasks while driving and are easily distracted. My friends tell me of how they paint their nails, do their makeup, clean their handbags etc while driving. This makes them awesome drivers ……….The amount of times I have seen women swerve all over the road as they are rummaging through their handbags, located on the passenger floor, do not even get me started on.

5. I also agree with other posts when they have said it is an interest thing. Most other females want A) only to appear hot while driving. B) To only learn how to drive fast in a straight line (straight line hero’s we used to call them when racing) so they can appear to be good drivers. C) Only are interested in cars when it breaks and they can no longer proceed to do their shopping.

6. Most guys I know are decent drivers and many are very good. Guys can predict traffic, hazards etc better than most women I feel. They are also more confident behind the wheel therefore they are less likely to cause an accident by merging at 40, stepping on the brakes unnecessarily, etc. However does mean they may have an accident booting it around a corner, but generally the big ones seem to happen when this is obviously mixed with alcohol or they take dad’s car for a spin. So they may still be a better driver generally but now are drunkenly impaired or over confident in a car they are not experienced with.

7. In saying all of this there is still….flat brim cap, think I can drive hero, the same as straight line hero but driving a clapped out commodore or other junk car. We all know about these guys, habitat originates from around the Ipswich region and they are often also found in the Beenleigh area. They are the only capable of driving in a straight line and sit so low in their seats they cannot see out the front window, yet they are so mentally impaired they have not worked this out yet. They also think their standard radio turned up and distortion makes them awesome. Definitely ones to avoid. And there are good women drivers out there. Just hard to find.

And yes we all know about Asian drivers

Just my two cents, and now I will also zip up my flame proof suit.

[BBQBurner]

*Shufflin*, I love it

[obsezd]

Simple fact, boys are hoons therefore us gals are better

that's not true.....my mums a more of a hoon than me

[BBQBurner]

Simple fact, boys are hoons therefore us gals are better

that's not true.....my mums a more of a hoon than me

My Nanna accelerates when going down hill, I think thats fair more scary then anything i do.

[EAsyS-pack]

Simple fact, boys are hoons therefore us gals are better

that's not true.....my mums a more of a hoon than me

My Nanna accelerates when going down hill, I think thats fair more scary then anything i do.

Haha, from a leisurely drive to Bunnings:

Me: *Notices Nanna's accelerating hard around a truck.* "Yeah, I don't like sitting in their blindspot either."
Nanna: "Yeah... And you need room when you're doing 90 in a 60 zone ."
Me: :S

[*Shufflin*]

Go Nanna! hahahaha crack up.

[iCER]

can you name and shame who are the 3 people who selected 'MALE''s?

100% all 3 are female. lol

[BBQBurner]

Haha, from a leisurely drive to Bunnings:

Me: *Notices Nanna's accelerating hard around a truck.* "Yeah, I don't like sitting in their blindspot either."
Nanna: "Yeah... And you need room when you're doing 90 in a 60 zone ."
Me: :S

HAHA thats gold

[.tapeworm]

this brings back memories of when guys would get their 1st car in year 12 & had no money..so it would be standard procedure to see completely stock 90's VN's/Falcons/Camira's etc. doing 150+ next to the side street that runs beside the school (I think it would have been a 50/60 zone)...Males are lethal at this age I have to say.

[Rollin]

I think when younger males take more risks, so they crash/die more.

As males get older we take less risks (and have slightly better skills/awareness) than we do when younger, so we start to crash less (or not has hard).

Females on the other hand generally don't see being a good driver as a priority, and either joke about how bad they are to all their mates, or believe that because they've never had a ticket and they don't speed they are automatically good drivers. They might not crash big time or cause others to crash, but they're definitely the cause of much road rage...and many, many parking dints and scrapes...

[ed40]

^Agreed.

I know ALOT of male drivers who THINK they are good drivers too. lol Most of the girls I know don't give a shit and happily admit they aren't great drivers..

[obsezd]

Ive heard this from a lot of people, "the day you think your a good driver is the day you have an accident"

[Rollin]

Motherfucker I'm an awesome driver! I will never crash!

[Spookedgal]

From someone with a 2car and 2 lady household, we've had our licenses similar lengths of time, I've never had a accident, ticket, fine, demerit point etc. only had one parking ding which was years ago trying to get to work on painkillers whoops! My missus: 2points left (I think) including the fine that came yesterday, 5 car pileup years ago, don't drink while she's changing gear *thud*

In short, it's down to the individual however males do tend to take more risks.

[Bipolar]

I think when younger males take more risks, so they crash/die more.

As males get older we take less risks (and have slightly better skills/awareness) than we do when younger, so we start to crash less (or not has hard).

The part of the brain that is last to develop is that risk-assessment part, which happens at 22-23 years old. Explains why kids are way more reckless before then.