If you were to ask just about any random person on the street, they’d probably say that men tend to be better drivers than women. It’s not clear how this misconception began, but there’s plenty of evidence out there to refute it. While few people would argue with the fact that men tend to be more mechanically inclined – and, as such, more knowledgeable about how cars work – the truth is that in terms of safety, female drivers have male drivers beat by a considerable margin. Not convinced? We’ve culled the darkest depths of the Internet – including some very prominent sources – to bring you 13 definitive reasons why women are better drivers than men; check them out below.
#1: Men Feel Like they “Own the Road”
According to a New York City traffic study*, a participant is quoted regarding the tendency of men to feel like they “own the road.” While there is no definitive way to quantify how many men feel this way, virtually anyone who has been a passenger in a car driven by a guy can attest to this fact. Many of the aggressive behaviors that men exhibit while behind the wheel could very well stem from their belief that the road is “theirs.” In turn, disregard for other drivers results in higher numbers of accidents and fatalities. Women tend to be more comfortable with the concept of sharing the road with others, and don’t tend to be possessive or territorial about their driving habits.
#2: Women Have Fewer Accidents
Male drivers often insist that they have more skill and finesse on the road than female drivers do. This may be true, but proving or disproving such a claim is virtually impossible. What can be quantified, though, are accident statistics. According to Quality Planning* (an insurance statistics company), their study shows that male drivers are significantly more likely to cause accidents than female drivers are. Most people would agree that accidents are definite signs of being not-so-skilled behind the wheel – after all, accident-prone drivers put all other drivers at risk every time they hit the road. As popular as the stereotype of the fender-bender-causing female may be, the stats show that men have a lot more problems in that area.
#3: Scantily Clad Women Are More of a Distraction to Men than Women
During the summer months, women are commonly seen walking around in decidedly skimpy attire. Some drivers tend to have a more difficult time keeping their eyes on the road when scantily-clad women walk by – and it’s fairly easy to surmise who they are. ABC News highlighted a study by the British car insurance agency Sheilas’ Wheels* that reports some very interesting facts about male drivers’ focus on the road during the summer. According to the study, approximately 29% of men report having trouble keeping their attentions on the road when skimpily-attired women pass them by. Needless to say, female drivers don’t tend to have the same issue. More tellingly, men file about 16% more insurance claims during the summer than women do.
#4: Motherly Instincts Give Female Drivers an Edge
In an article about a New York City traffic study* that generally shows 80% of all serious pedestrian accidents were caused by male drivers, the New York Times quotes a respondent who cites motherly instincts as being a major advantage that women have over men. Most people would agree that the majority of women are born with innate, nurturing instincts. Those instincts could make women more conscientious about being safe drivers. Most women have a natural tendency to want to protect those around them. Therefore, they are more likely to be defensive drivers and to steer as clear of accident-causing behaviors as possible. Being a caring mother may pay off to becoming a caring, and therefore safer, driver.
#5: Women Have Longer Attention Spans, Partially Due to Estrogen
Recently, a whole lot of attention has been giving to the dangers of texting while driving. Prior to that, a huge movement about the dangers of talking on cell phones while driving was conducted*. Taking your attention away from the road is definitely a recipe for disaster, and it stands to reason that those with shorter attention spans are more likely to experience problems in that department. The University of Bradford study suggests that estrogen tends to give women much longer attention spans than men. Despite the popular stereotype of female drivers who apply makeup and perform other frivolous tasks behind the wheel, it is clear that women tend to be able to focus more carefully on important matters. When it comes to driving, this tendency gives them a distinct advantage over men. Quoting the study, “Oestrogens may positively influence neuronal activity in the frontal lobes, the area of the brain stimulated by tasks of attention and rule learning “
#6: Women are Better at Learning and Obeying Rules (Also due to Estrogen)
According to the same study above, women have a much better ability to learn rules than men do. This fact is also attributed to the hormone estrogen, and could explain why female drivers tend to be cited for far fewer traffic violations than men. The fact that women have a natural tendency to absorb and obey the rules could make them safer, and better, drivers.
#7: Women Break Fewer Traffic Laws than Men
According to the same study by Quality Planning*, women tend to break fewer traffic laws than their male counterparts. The fact that male drivers are more like to wave away traffic laws as being silly or superfluous is undeniably dangerous. Such laws are in place to maintain order and safety on the road. The study shows that statistically, men are much more likely to be cited for a litany of traffic violations. A few top examples include reckless driving, DUIs, speeding, failure to yield and stop sign/signal violations. If you see a guy driving around, it’s a lot more likely that he’ll cause a serious accident by disobeying traffic laws than it would be if he were a female driver.
#8: Women Outlive Men in General
The fact that women tend to outlive men is pretty much common knowledge. According to the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University*, 85% of those who live beyond the age of 100 are women. The article highlights several reasons for this; one of them involves the famously dangerous and aggressive behaviors of teenage males and guys in their twenties. The so-called “testosterone storm” that occurs during that age period surely has a significant impact on male driving habits. Women, of course, don’t have to cope with testosterone-fueled behavior shifts. As a result, they are much more likely to live through their teenage and young adult years; safer habits and behaviors, including those behind the wheel, help women outlive men by 5 to 10 years, on average.
#9: Women Have Fewer Driving-Related Fatalities
The Insurance Information Institute* brings additional information to light regarding the driving habits of men versus those of women. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, male drivers are significantly more likely to be involved in fatality-causing accidents than women are. Aggressive driving habits tend to be at the center of this phenomenon. Risk of fatalities between both sexes tends to go down as drivers’ ages go up, further reinforcing the concept that aggressive and risk-taking behaviors – which tend to be the provenance of the young and unskilled – trigger more deaths than anything else on the road.
#10: Men Aren’t the Only Race Car Drivers
NASCAR fans will attest that the fact that the vast majority of race car drivers are men signifies that men are more skilled behind the wheel. You’d have to be living under a rock, though, to be unaware of the fact that there is one glaring exception to this rule. Her name is Danica Patrick, and she’s proven to be one of the most skilled race car drivers out there*. In addition to participating in NASCAR/ARCA racing, Patrick has been a prominent fixture on the IndyCar Series for some time, and the first woman ever to win an Indy race, and recently placed 3rd in the Indianapolis 500. While some would argue that one female driver amid hundreds of guys doesn’t mean a whole lot, the fact remains that men do not hold a strict monopoly in the world of auto racing.
#11: Women are More Likely to Wear Seatbelts
While buckling a seatbelt isn’t necessarily a sure sign of driving prowess, it does indicate a more conscientious approach to operating a motor vehicle. Several studies, including the one from SADD* (Students Against Drunk Driving) notes that about 12.5% of male students admit to rarely or never using seatbelts. That’s compared with about 7.8% of female students. Having the wherewithal to use a seatbelt is a clear demonstration that a driver takes safety on the road seriously. Most would agree that safety on the road is a clear indication of skill behind the wheel.
#12: Men Are More Likely to Drive and Drive
Drinking and driving is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents and fatalities* according to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). The aforementioned NYC traffic study touches upon the fact that men are more likely to take drugs and drink before getting behind the wheel. A huge amount of evidence exists, such as the Michigan Drunk Driving Audit, to support the fact that men are much more likely to be arrested and convicted of DUIs than women*. Again, this concept could be tied to men’s sense of power and control over the road, and to their more aggressive tendencies in general. The fact that women are more reluctant to drive while impaired reinforces the concept that they are safer, more conscientious drivers than men.
#13: Testosterone = Aggression?
Despite the widespread belief that an overabundance of testosterone may lead to aggressive behavior, many recent studies, such as one by the New York Academy of Sciences*, suggest that a deficiency of the famous male hormone may be behind more aggressive behavior. Evidence about such a link is still unclear, but there is definitely a fundamental difference in the way that men and women behave in many scenarios. Since aggressive driving tends to be a higher problem among male drivers, there’s a very real possibility that testosterone is somehow to blame.
Conclusion:
Do the preceding points definitively prove that women are better drivers than men? Not necessarily. When considered on a case-by-case basis, it’s easy to refute or downplay those points. When taken as a whole, though, they present a very compelling argument for the fact that women tend to be safer, more conscientious – and better – drivers. Regardless of how much evidence exists – and continues to crop up – there’s no doubt that the never-ending battle between the sexes will continue. As long as men and women exist, that battle will never be definitively won. If you have a choice between being driven around by a woman or a man, though, you should probably hedge your bets and stick with the female driver.
Do you agree or disagree? Let your thoughts be heard in the comments area at the end of this page:
* Sources:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/pedsafetyreport.shtml
http://www.alphagalileo.org/
http://www.qualityplanning.com/
http://www.sheilaswheels.com/
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-51251.html
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/pedsafetyreport.shtml
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/29773.php
http://www.iii.org
http://www.sadd.org/stats.htm
http://www.madd.org/Drunk-Driving/Drunk-Driving/Statistics.aspx
http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,1607,7-123-1645_3501_4626-27728–,00.html
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1196/annals.1330.016/abstract
Related posts:
Some of these references are true… but i have confliction that
womens are good drivers enough that stories are submitted about
their accident less than men, i have my own experience about this
term that women gets confuse early and many men dont allow women to
drive on highways or long route.. but really enjoyed your article..
thank you God Bless you
I have a feeling a women wrote this…
You’d be right.
Mile for mile, women get in more wrecks than men. We likely drive
more often than women because frankly, they’re scary drivers. That
is why overall, more men get in wrecks than women. There are
significantly more of us behind the wheel at any given time.
#12: Men Are More Likely to Drive and Drive This is madness…!
Men are better at learning the skill of driving. It’s like most
physical sports. Now before lesbians picket outside my house.. Men
are not better than woman. Men are DIFFERENT to woman. Each gender
has several unique skills which they are stronger at than the other
gender. I think driving is one of them for men. Granted, all men
are not better drivers than all woman. But I think, on average, men
are better drivers.
they are great drivers imo
It seems to me like all of the studies were in NY. Why? More men
probably drive in NY than women so, statistically, they would be in
more accidents. Gotta agree with Mario on this one. Also, the
Danica Patrick argument ought to cancel out some of the other
numbers on this list. Have you ever seen her after she gets out of
her car? She is crazy and not in a good way. Not to mention the
fact that she is a terrible stock car driver (and that is not my
opinion, it is just based on statistics)
Alot more men are on the road than women. Men crash 5.1 times per
million milles( i think its million) and women crash 5.7 times.
Also a diffrence between better can probly clear up this debate
allitle, when men say ” men drive BETTER” better means they have
more skill, would win in a race bla bla bla. Every time i talk to
girls about this the argument ends after i ask if “better” means
safer to thim, it does. So girls are probly safer drivers, but i
dont have amsingle friend thats a girl that can out drive me.
No, men get in more wrecks because men are more likely to drive
like idiots then women. Every time I see someone cutting people
off, speeding, going through red lights, weaving in and out of
traffic, 95 times out of 100 it’s a man. Every single person on a
motorcycle who drives like an idiot has been male. Every time. I’m
saying this as a female motorcyclist. Women drive cars to
accomplish a goal – to get from point A to point B SAFELY. Many men
do not understand this simple concept. Men (not all of course)
drive their cars like they are in NASCAR, and they are less
patient. The problem stems from men’s arrogance and cockeyness. I
can’t even drive my car with a man in it without them telling me
how to park, when to change lanes, etc. It’s insulting because I
have been driving fine without them.
Hahaha just reading all this makes my day (: okay so women live
longer than men, agreed, how does that relate to driving? I looked
around at other websites and have seemed to find that at about age
40 men are shown to be in less accidents than women of the same age
so I guess that women live longer just to get into more accidents?
Women do their fair share of speeding and weaving through traffic.
I’m only 17 and have had 2 separate occasions where a female driver
has nearly caused a car wreck on the highway but I had to swerve
off the road to avoid them. Testosterone does cause a man to become
more aggressive but on the female side of it, when women hit their
monthly cycle, they seem to become outraged even easier and be more
aggressive.
women are way better drivers of coarse men are arguing because it
“demasculatizes them” but truth is they need to admit that clearly
women are better:)
Well obviously there is more men in the US, but statistics are
based on the same amount if they do it out of a hundred men they
are going to use a hundred women. Men are so stuck on driving these
fast cars and being reckless its crazy. Women drive the way they do
cause they love there life. Men sometimes i think they dont care.
There are resons that insurance companies charge men so much for
insurance from the ages of 16-25 cause they have done the studies
themselves. It is what it is men face the facts your skills are not
that good.
lets make this clear, I been cut off almost hitting me by a fat
women driving a big of truck who is clearly spatially challenged.
Men are more skilled drivers, but are bad drivers because they are
more aggressive. Women are better drivers in a sense that they can
be more careful but in noway are they more skilled drivers than
men. Women should not drive big SUVs because it give them false
sense of security because it is so big, you cant hardly feel the
road in reality that they are traveling much faster. If women would
all drive small cars they would actually feel how fast they are
going. In reality, women are more spatially challenged and
emotionally driven which is a bad combination on the road.
Danica Patrick is an absolutely TERRIBLE race driver, both in terms of skill and professionalism. Her continued involvement in motorsport is largely a publicity stunt. If you had cited, say, Simona de Silvestro or Sabine Schmitz, that example might not be utterly ridiculous.
I’d also like to address this:
“The so-called “testosterone storm” that occurs during that age period surely has a significant impact on male driving habits. Women, of course, don’t have to cope with testosterone-fueled behavior shifts.”
“Hormones affect male behavior. Females are unaffected by hormones.”
I cannot and will not argue with statistics concerning insurance claims (except to say that they do not cover all accidents and incidents), but this article is incredibly poorly thought out.
I would agree! Men are higher risk drivers according to insurance risks (if that means anything) and possibly because they are fueled by testosterone–Check out our next article. http://www.cheapcarinsurance.net/weird-state-driving-laws-that-still-exist/
I would place this article in the opinion column at best. We can
claim statistics this and statistics that all day long, but unless
it directly applies to you, it doesn’t really matter. I’m not going
to get worked up over some biased article. I’m a 25 year old male
driver, and have been accident free since I learned to drive.
I agree because when I read it for my family they accept my
driving.
Isn’t good.
I am going to call bull**** I am state trooper and i have been
called to more accidents where women are the cause of the accidents
than men. i pull over more women for running red lights than men
and it is 50/50 with the DWIs.
dude you should know that both men and woman agree that men are
better drivers(the majority of them)if you say testosterone makes
men angry i say pms makes woman deprived of sleep so you do the
maths…oops that another thing men are good at;)
I also see this study says women get less tickets. I believe they
get off more often than men on tickets. What cop doesn’t give a
good looking girl with a low cut shirt a break. Men probably do get
more dui. Men take that risk,and they’re women are more likely to
let him drive if they were both drinking. They should look soley at
accidents per mile. Thats where men beat women. Who cares how many
seat belt tickets you have? I never say an accident caused by a
lack of wearing a seatbelt. I am a motorcyclist and its older women
who scare me the most.
This article is terrible, my own mother even thinks that women are
terrible drivers. The only times i have been nearly been killed in
car related incidents is; Driving and nearly being taken off the
road by a women in an SUV, walking across the street when the walk
sign was on and another woman in an SUV flew through the red light
and missed me by about two feet, and another time when this lady
was on her cell phone and nearly took out the cars in front of us.
Women don’t own the road like men? ROTFLMAO! That was a joke right?