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Apr 22, 2005

Women cant drive? Taking her for a ride?

Aaaargh will there be no end to the bias!

Now women are bad driver and should be banned from driving, says a blogger. Hopefully and Thankfully all guys are not like him.

A bad driver is a bad driver. And if a woman is a bad driver, and if you have met a woman who is a bad driver. Call her one. But that doesnt mean all women are bad drivers and that women should be banned from driving

I dont know if any other country bans women from driving. Saudi Arabia does. And well all should cool and calm there right?No. got this from arabnews.com

  • "Saudi Arabia has a well-developed and maintained road system.
  • Highways and roads are often three or four lanes wide and flat, straight and smooth.
  • Yet, despite the excellent driving conditions, Saudi Arabia has ONE OF THE HIGHEST ACCIDENT RATES in the world.
  • Last year alone there were over 300,000 accidents reported and approximately 4,800 deaths.
  • Eighty-one percent of people who die in hospital are car accident victims.
  • All these accidents and deaths translate into a financial liability for the country of SR21 billion annually. "

(I think that comes to more than 210 billion Rupees. And alcohol is prohibitied, so rules out drunken driving too!) Well thumbs up to the woman there who said, if you wont let me drive, I will fly and became a pilot :) And so its not that just women are bad drivers.

Is there any stats to compare the percentage of male drivers vs female drivers, other than bias amongst few and a sterotype image of women? If Saudi Arabia has one of the Highest accident rates, where only men drive, it doesnt reflect logically to me that men are better drivers. I dont use it to say men are poor drivers, or women wil be better drivers, simply to point out driving errors are Human errors.

And is it so tough for some to accept women as humans?

Families suffer after an accident. Men and Women both get affected. Its tragic and changes life and lifestyles. Whats important is road safety and not winning ego trips.

Women can drive, if you think to the contrary, perhaps its just because you want to take her for a ride?

PS : For every opinion, its not possible to collect the most reliable data and then base the opinion. Sometimes many go by personal experiences. Just because a blogger here (male or female), thinks women are bad drivers, doesnt make women, bad drivers nor does it perhaps make, those who hold that opinion MCPs.

After all, if from tommorrow, if majority of the bad drivers I meet, wear denim jackets, I would be wary about drivers who wear denim jackets and perhaps might say there could be a scientific reason for this, even if there is a country where denim jackets are banned and even if that country has one of the highest accident rates in the world :D

But would I be justified in saying those who wear denim jackets should be banned from driving, without any study, scientific evidence etc?

For more on the post which provoked this post Click here

47 comments:

  1. If Saudi Arabia has such high accident rate when women arn't allowed to drive , then think of the disasters that may happen if they are infact allowed to drive. :->

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  2. himvats
    I am discussing with data, and you with speculation :)
    well each one their opinion i guess, never mind what they base it on:D

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  3. Well, Then here is some data that would support both of us. Check this out "http://www.drivers.com/article/175/".

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  4. I see more women drivers on the road the men drivers, and far less road-rage/accidents/stupid driving from women than men.

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  5. sray:)
    i dont want to say women are better drivers etc, just wanted to say ALL women are not bad drivers :)

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  6. interesting link himvats, thanks:)

    but did you read it?:) I think it supports what i said:) but i couldnt read the entire report, to give u a reply
    http://www.atsb.gov.au/roadsafety/research/execsum/cr178ex.htm

    and btw you dont have any theory on why a country which has only male drivers has the one of the highest accident rates?
    leave alone the accident rate being one of the lowest or similar to other countries... and inspite of the drunken driving not being a major factor....

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  7. himvats,
    When the report mentions Australia as an example its 96% male driving and 79% female driving and even in that 1.5km male driving for 1 km female driving.

    Are the data equal for comparision , I think no. (Even though the data in many parts supports what I say, I choose to ignore it).
    Because after all when I give Saudi Arabia as an example, its 100% male driving and one of the Highest accident rate in the world. And yet I dont use it to illustrate that men are poor drivers etc. Technically perhaps if there is a country when the male driving in numbers and km is similar to female driving or when there is an all female driving we could debate with more ease.

    But till then,in my humble opinion,accidents are unfortunate to say the least, and driving errors are essentially Human errors.

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  8. gay...to me ur right...i glanced thru xxx's post...but in my experence itz men who fu*** up life...to quote a personal example...my mother-in-law...in frnt of our eyes...now there...the next second gone...to a rash driver (MAN!)....not bcoz of this i say...stats say so...of course...many a woman still dont knw to drive...thts a diff point altogether...as if all guys can drive?...joking or what?....just tke a look in a residential locality...supposed to be residential...these zombies of guys drive like hell (one day they wud finally land up) is as diff mttr...cu akka..kit

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  9. WD: If you said that all (or even most) women are better drivers, I would have said that you are a fanatic :-). There are a few different issues here.

    a) Driving Skill: I think both men and women are capable of perfectly the same levels of skill in driving (given enough training, the lack of which might be a problem in Saudi Arabia?).

    b) Road Rage: More men are prone to getting angry at some slow driver or some other stupid thing, so road-rage might be more common amongst men.

    c) Drunk Driving: Again, more men than women.

    d) Distractions like Makeup/Eye-lining: Do I need to say anything here?

    e) Party attitude: Many accidents are due to a party attitude inside the car with multiple occupants, which distracts the driver.

    One needs to compile stats on each of these issues (and there might be more) and perhaps then we can get the full picture.

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  10. Gaya...I truly agree with you. There are bad drivers and there are good drivers...now where the hell does a driver's gender come in between? Why do people generalise when it comes to women? I have seen bad drivers on the road and found out most of them are MEN. Also, I can confidently say that I am a better driver than few of my male friends... even though I am a fairly new driver

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  11. s.ray,
    i agree that the rate in Saudi Arabia is probably due to some of the factors u have mentioned.

    a.mit, i have added a para to the post, due to ur comments.

    oshin, i dont want to say men are worse drivers etc, because for me its meaningless.
    because, even if driving efficiency is reduced due to a gender (male or female) it only means it should be addressed and more trainin imparted. it doesnt mean one can say a gender should be banned from driving.

    colors:)way to go girl:)

    Btw I dont drive, dont know ABC of driving and dont intend to learn driving in near future, not because of my gender, but perhaps i dont have the drive to learn driving:)

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  12. very very contrav topic. but i can say onething..men and women are deisgned differently. Natural reflexes are different. When a kid cries the feeling mother gets is a bit diffent than what a father gets...the same way...men can better drivers...i can 99 out of 100 times guess a women driver if i am behind the car or even in different lane.
    but that does not mean they shld be banned from driving... we have live with some bad facts of life ;)...
    if atall we cld afford , we shld atleast have special lanes for female drivers...so that accidents in their lanes wld come down !! :D and ur point wld be proved ....(going for Tea..its a must now)

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  13. Oh on the hormones, this is what Mars Venus expert John Gray says on male driving, "A man needs to make a lot more testosterone during the day to keep stress levels down, and driving faster makes him feel better for this reason. Danger produces more dopamine in the brain and it stimulates testosterone, which lowers the stress hormone cortisol, so it’s pleasurable for a man to drive fast. "
    I agree that just driving fast, doesnt make a person a bad driver. Control is more important. But if the same had been said re.women, wonder what some would have said though:D
    ====

    Goodmorning Triplex.

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  14. "I feel that women should spend more time in learning how to drive and should be given a license only if they are confident."

    Isnt the same thing true for men as well? And do you really think the driving inspectors would give women the license (or to men) if they are not confident/good in their driving?
    In any case, uninformed bias such as the above quote perhaps makes it harder for women to get a license, and therefore new women drivers are more qualified than their male counterparts are.

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  15. :)) sray.
    (triplex btw is the author of the post which provoked this post.)

    hmmm even i didnt think of this - "In any case, uninformed bias such as the above quote perhaps makes it harder for women to get a license, and therefore new women drivers are more qualified than their male counterparts are"

    :))

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  16. But then confidence comes with practice (unless someone is either a genius, or is prone to showing bravado), and unless someone drives a lot, he/she wont be confident. So it is a chicken-and-egg situation :).

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  17. :))sray

    well i agree with u, but i am not interested in arguin with triplex either. After all ultimately its just his opinion, no point in me givin more attention...

    i would rather read more of ur posts ..
    but this is interesting :D

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  18. Triplex, I thought you knew me well enough, to not expect me to ignore your posts and carry on as though it doesnt make a difference to me.
    Sorry. You are entitled to your opinions and views. And I am entitled to my choices.
    :),hmmm, Happy Birthday, Happy New Year are the most you are going to get from me, going by your posts.

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  19. Hmm... the male (triplex) needs the female's (gaya) attention, but not vice-versa. So, who is the superior one? :)).

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  20. Triplex sorry I stand by what I said in ur post.
    Either you withdraw and write a sincere apology (not your saaaaaaaaary kind)
    or i will boycott your blog.

    you are entitled to post ur opinion, but how can u tell me to ignore that? especially after u know that i did the same with couple of other bloggers in o3?

    i have explained in detail thru my post why i disagree and in my eggshots blog elaborated what i find offensive...

    I have not said the same even though i had disagreed with your other posts, but there is a limit to everything.

    Anyway if i ignored u as a person, why would i wish you on ur birthday and on new year? but blogging wise its boycott for now:)

    ===
    sray :) well i dont want to think i am superior or inferior, just equal would be fine:D

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  21. xxx:)
    i am not ur censor board:D

    i didnt say dont post forwards, if u post a gen forward i will just ignore, but if u post a forward which is offensive i will protest:) (degree dependin on content)

    when i said eggshots i meant my blog http://eggshots.blogspot.com
    blog.

    i appreciate you wanting to make peace, really do.

    i dont want to dictate ur blog contents, but there just wanted to point out, there is a difference between writing
    "based on my personal experiences, i think women could be bad drivers even though i dont have stats to support this and even though i have been told that a country which doesnt allow women to drive, has one of the highest accident rates in the world, though J.Gray an expert on men-women differences doesnt say women are bad drivers and says men likely to speed, though the chances of drunken drivin is higher when men drive :) but then women are probly more emotional,distracted due to the mirror etc and i think many women are incompetent in graspin rules and guys be careful when u encounter a female driver and girls be more diligent.."

    to sayin "women ride vehicles with breasts, women drivers are to be banned , are best for back seat sex etc etc..."


    the former is just your opinion, with which i will disagree and say ok lets agree to disagree.but in what u wrote u just wrote it as though women are fools, cant face truth,are just sexual objects and though u dont have any base other than ur personal experiences and perhaps those of ur friends, u want the world to ban female driving,for starters..

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  22. I agree with u..bad drivers are bad drivers..period.

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  23. WD: I am enjoying this very much :-).

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  24. Another feminist here? For heaven's sake, why in the freakin world do you people take offense for everything said? U know that someone saying "women must be banned from driving" is a dumbass and yet, u choose to entertain sucha person! may be cuz it feeds your ego? is that what it is? Now don't gimme crap abt "i don't ahve an ego" or things like that.. i do believe in the fact that not all women are bad drivers, but those that are bad are really bad. I've had first hand proof, so don't bother arguing. As for you quoting statistics, gimme a topic and I'll show you stats for that topic going both ways - for and against. stats mean nothing. I'm yet to read what this "XXX" has written. will check it out, but seems kinda odd that someone else also has picked on his writing. anyways, Peace and I'll say this again : I hate feminists and male chauvinists. both deserve to die cuz they don't know the meaning of "shut the hell up"

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  25. sorry triplex thats not enough.

    sriram. feminists are not the female equivalent of mcps,

    but i share ur dislikes of MCPs and FCPs.

    I had given the data, merely to illustrate that the problem neednot be solved just by bannin women from driving.

    and if xxx had written a post sayin men should be banned, my reaction would have been similar, i can give links and prove my concerns for the male of the species, if necessary:)


    re.reacting, well i guess, people can blog on whatever they choose to:)


    peace:)

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  26. triplex the peace was to sriram

    with u its neither war because its futile to use what is logical to me, with you

    and its nor peace because i cant accept what u said.

    If I wrote a post on ur girl and said girls who come from that place are dumb, and just want sex blah blah blah, based on my visit to the city, while u might overlook it if i withdraw the post, i am sure u wouldnt say, ok lets make peace

    well u might , but i wouldnt.

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  27. Can we move on too something else plz....There are many more things we can discuss ...than bad drivers.

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  28. himvats i agree:)
    but i am too lazy to post somethin diff today:)

    and btw there r plenty of other topics on the past posts too which are open to discussion:)

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  29. the point of my action is not to make u want to do ,what i want to do, but simply do what i want to do.

    i have already made it clear on what is objectionable and why it is objectionable..

    if u belive in strongly in the post, but at the same time think its not worth it if i boycott it, well i really dont know what to say to you:)

    well guess you wil have to choose. and even if for one, i would boycott ur blog and not interact with u on blogs, either way i will continue to respect you :)

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  30. oh come on,

    gaya,
    i think xxx wrote that post thinking it wud be funny ( which it wasnt ). so you needn't boycott his blog.

    xxx,
    now dont tell me that u really believe whatever u wrote in ur post. that will be too stupid.

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  31. Wow! Visit my blog. Give me some insights.

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  32. spark:)
    please refer to my 7.49pm comment:)

    copy of my comment to triplex
    xxx,
    saw ur comments in my blog.

    i neither love you nor hate you:) so have not clicked on the pics link u have provided.
    The damage from ur post is not just the hurt you have caused in my opinon (however stupid it might be).


    You have not withdrawn the post neither have u clarified which part of the post u dont believe in (as u claimed in my blog).

    so unfortunately i will continue the boycott.

    but as i said earlier, I continue to respect you, even if thats useless at the moment to you:)

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  33. I think if a person apologizes, s/he should be given a chance. But the basic question is: does s/he still believe in what was written?

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  34. sray:)

    the question of forgiving comes when i assume a moral superiority. I dont think that is in involved here.

    the question of boycott comes when i object to his post contents:)
    which i do.

    ===

    Triplex please dont make me repeat myself.
    If u dont believe parts of it, mention which parts u dont believe.
    and if you dont believe, WHY.

    I know its worse for u now with another section, not pleased with u:D and appreciate that you are still doing this:)

    If my object had been to bully people to modify their post contents, through emotional blackmail, i would have stopped the boycott now, but it isnt.

    Appreciate your Attempts,
    Respect you as person
    But still will Boycott.

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  35. First time here..Very intelligent post...and equally interesting comments...

    Incidentally,two days back a woman won the car rally championship in Israel...This shows women can be as fast if not as good as men...

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  36. I have seen the following problem with some men.

    If a women does great, they will treat her with deference, and brand her as an exception (in many cases they are, but that has a lot to do with the social situations, and not because of the uniqueness of her innate calibre). Now why is that?

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  37. deepanjan :) commented on ur blogs, will check it regularly:)

    anbu:)

    sray
    Well thats an interesting one, i am not sure of the answer.

    Perhaps its due to selfish attitude and perhaps a dose of insecurity in accepting something against the social conditioning?

    What easier to believe, that she is an exception, or that what you have thought of as a child, is not true.

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  38. Woww.. 55 (now 56 :D) comments!! That must be a record :-).

    Keep batting, and you might yet make a century!

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  39. :))sray.
    well quality is more important than quantitiy.
    anyway since a new post up, dont want to get bogged in this one:)

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  40. GRRR ... I have met these types who think the same... GRRRR

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  41. pallavi : yeah grrrrrrrrrr but triplex who provoked this post, has been modifyin the post ..

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  42. Here's where I annoy everyone, but the honest truth of the matter is, the vast majority of reckless, dangerous and out-right idiotic driving I see is perpetrated by woman.

    This has nothing to do with any kind of bias, this is simple observation over thirteen years of driving.

    Those who know me well know I'm not some kind of misogynist monster. I simply tell it like it is, so no flaming!

    I can say with all honesty that every single time I go out in my car, I see at least three incidents of gross negligence by woman drivers.

    Guys do stupid things when they drive, but more often than not, they're aware of what they're doing is wrong.

    Whereas the average woman will do something extremely dangerous and have no clue as to what she's just done.

    I've been rammed head on by a woman who was doing thirty miles per hour in thick snow.

    She slewed straight into me. When she got out of her car, she was wearing three inch heals.

    Only two days ago, a woman just stopped on the brow of a hill so that she and her friend could talk to someone in a parked car off the side of the road.

    No one could pass and given the proximity to the near-by cross roads, all lanes suddenly ground to a shuddering halt.

    Madness.

    By far the most annoying thing the average woman driver will do is block the entire road when turning right.

    Rather than move the car right onto the line so as to allow the traffic behind her to flow, she will just park her car diagonally across the road, with the front end of her car partially blocking the opposite lane.

    Even worse, on major roads with a filter lane in the middle, only rarely will you see a woman use this lane. She will instead just block the entire road as before.

    A few years ago, I was passing through town when I fire engine and an ambulance came up from behind.

    As a driver, you're required to pull over onto the side of the road to let the emergency services pass.

    Not so the middle-aged woman in her huge estate car. She decided to carry on and take advantage of the clear road. But instead, she stopped at the traffic lights and then got stuck too close behind another car and neither the fire engine or ambulance could pass.

    Another incident was when a woman to my right should have filtered off to the right, but she instead rammed the side of my car and forced me onto the pavement.

    The only reason I stopped her from driving off was because I overtook her and blocked her.

    She completely denied she'd done anything wrong and refused to apologize .. and then drove off anyway!

    Fortunately, I'd got her number and a full description of the her, her passenger and the car.

    When the police arrived at her house, she said: "I didn't think I'd stopped long enough for him to remember all that."

    Quite.

    One of my mothers' friends would only drive her car within the village, she would not drive any further because she was 'scared of the big roads.'

    Another one of my mothers' friends nearly frightened my poor mother to death.

    The two of them were driving to an event in a near-by town when a car came up and passed them. The friend driving suddenly quickly leant over towards my mother and the car veered violently towards the pavement.

    A moment later, she did the exact same thing again. My mother asked her what she was doing and she said that she was scared of the passing cars 'hitting her'.

    She did this every time a car passed. My mother was terrified.

    Truly bizarre.

    The list of incidents goes on and on and on and on...

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  43. ok Wayne:)
    And I am sorry to hear about them.

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Have a Great Day!