driving: up the wall.......

Disclaimer: “First off, I don’t hate women–I’m no misogynist. How can I hate women, my Mum’s one”

okay I would be dragged my moral police and feminists alike when I make this particular statement but my general observation is that a majority of women as a % of population behind the wheels of a car make really pathetic drivers. Well the belief was always there somewhere in the back of my mind seeing my mom drive or even my friends behid the wheel s of her Santro in Delhi or recently my better half who has recently got her license in Pune. Well it happened a week back as I was there with her on her final day’s lesson (we were about to go to a place after that – hence I had chugged along with her) – what unfolded in the next 1 hour left me at my wits end. The play behind the wheels, the utmost effort that was put in to change the gears (hey in India 95% and more cars have manual transmission) and the propensity to swerve and hit equally game bikes on both sides on the road (in equally traffic-crazed Pune) left me praying. Well the act was repeated later by another woman in her 30s.

What is it about women that makes them such bad drivers? I came up with three answers:

• Women make up the “fair” sex. They are taught, or are naturally predisposed, to be more passive and deferential than men. While these personality traits help in some aspects of life, they don’t help at 80 km/hr. A good driver is an assertive driver. He (or she) sees that the other drivers are going much faster and that he’ll have to eventually be going the same speed, so he speeds up accordingly. Women are naturally inclined to slow down and let the others pass - males do tend to be more aggressive drivers than women, but I don’t think there are nearly as many or that they pose quite the same risk as do passive women drivers.
• Women are communicators. Their personal relationships with other women rely a great deal on verbal communication. As such they’re more likely to be on the phone while driving their cars. I’m sure I don’t need to mention the numerous conclusive studies showing that phone conversations and driving don’t mix. I could also point to the numerous other things I’ve seen women doing while driving (applying makeup, brushing hair) but these are easily offset by the stupid things guys attempt at the wheel (smoking rings, picking noses - etc).
• Women are less likely to grow up playing sports in India. As a general rule, athletics aren’t stressed as much for women as for they are for men. And this, I think, is the biggest difference. It is very easy to make a distinction between someone who spent long hours as a child learning a sport and someone who did not. Two key differences also apply when driving a car: spatial awareness and decision making. Sports heighten one’s sense of his surroundings. In team sports like crickey and football you have to constantly update your assessment of where other players are in relation to the ball and yourself. In individual sports like tennis you have to pay attention to your bodily momentum, the spin of the ball, and the angle of the shot. Spatial awareness is also important when driving a car. At any given moment you have to be thinking about where the other cars are situated on the road and where they’re likely to be when you decide to switch lanes or hang a U-turn. Being able to anticipate where other cars will move makes for safe driving. Split-second decisions are a second hallmark of most competitive sports (again excepting track and field). Being able to make a decision quickly comes in handy when you come across a freakish call-center cab driver waltzing through traffic behind you. I think that playing sports as a child helps to fine tune the senses, and it’s just common sense that practice makes perfect.

While it would be easy to dismiss the above statements as sexist hogwash, I think that there is an element of truth to each. And although women and men are on more equal footing than ever before, societal norms still create enough differences to support my arguments. That being said, I don’t really want anyone to accept them at face value…I really enjoy a good argument. So keep it coming.

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