Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

Are they?

I truly believe that women are better and safer drivers and to some extent statistics support this.
Women have less accidents, commit fewer driving offences and it is rare that a woman is caught driving with excess alcohol or under the influence of unlawful narcotics.

Granted, women drive less miles per annum than men but even so..........
My own mother has held a driving licence for 50+ years and has not committed any driving offences or damaged a car with one exception in 1993 and that was only a scratch.

On the other hand women drivers tend to be impatient behind the wheel of a car.

Your opinions please.
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[alanb]

In the past ten years I have had 3 minor accidents, two by women running into the back of me whilst I was stationary at traffic lights and one woman turning right from a left hand lane and clipping the front of my car.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[D4B]

Look who is tailgating you, it's often (but not limited to) a young lady in an Audi A3, BMW 1 series or VW Golf.......

[Riley Blue]

I expect we can all give examples of bad driving by women - and (if we're being honest) probably more examples of bad driving by men.

[peter scott]

Generalisations are difficult but I think women are less interested in technology than men and the interest in controlling machines is important in this question.

For sure there is a large part of the male population who are also uninterested in machinery and drive badly.

Weighted against the machinery interest there is the question of aggression and I think it is true that the general male population is more aggressive than the female population.

So what is bad driving?

1. Endangering third parties.
3. Causing annoyance to third parties.
3. Wasting world resources.
4. Wasting time.

I suspect that males are more dangerous than females.
Causing annoyance is possibly more of a female failing.
Waste is possibly about equal.

Others have mentioned that females are more impatient and drive too close up your exhaust pipe. I'm certainly aware that if a car is travelling too close it is most often a young woman and I think this is them trying to induce you to travel faster because they've never learnt how to overtake and I don't just mean on single carriageways. I think some drivers are scared of changing lanes.

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[colwyn500]

The women I have known well don't change gear soon enough, brake too late, drive too close to the car in front and tend to accumulate a lot of dings and scratches; all in comparison to me.
Overall though, they have been no more dangerous than male drivers I have known, including me!

[exbmc]

I guess there are good and bad drivers of both sexes. One thing that i see, is just as many ladies driving along, talking on a mobile as men.

[pigtin]

Had to admit to the memsahib she's a better driver than me these days. I rarely drive the modern when we go out together, I just lean back in my seat, take in the view and tell her what a good job she is doing.
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Due to the onset of my mid eighties I'm no longer sprightly and rarely seen in my Austin special. I have written a book though. https://amzn.eu/d/7rwRRqL

[pauldaf44]

Personally I don't think its as clear cut as that. Some women drive better than some men and vice versa. From my experience everyone is different and I don't think gender really comes into it. I know some drivers who are very patient and others who are not whether they are male or female make no difference. Personally I think that any driver should be subject to regular testing as too many drivers pass their tests and then there driving gradually detiorates.

My pet hate though is people who can't change gear properly, if you can't change gear at the right time drive an auto! I also get annoyed by hearing people revving the guts of a car when pulling away its just not nessesary. My grandfather did this to the extent that he was going through a clutch in 6 months, so I got him an auto which he loves as due to his being death he can't hear the engine to know when to change. Only now he has got into the habit of holding the brakes with his left foot and revving the guts of the car to make it move off, im just waiting for the moment when his foot slips on the brake pedal and he shoots backwards into a wall.

[D4B]

[pauldaf44]

[alanb]

Statistically those under 25 are most likely to have an accident, whilst the safest group 40-60 are least likely to pass the driving test.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[Geoffp]

In general, women tend to be safer drivers then men; their insurance premiums were lower until the EU stuck their noses in, and insurance companies don't give anything away.

However the exception to the rule is women of all ages who spend an excessive amount on Hair Products. They tend to be ruder and more arrogant than any male drivers and no doubt cause more than their fair share of accidents

Geoff

[Bitumen Boy]

On the whole I reckon the proportion of bad drivers is more or less evenly split between the sexes, but I have noticed one thing. Whenever I see really ropy driving in a supermarket carpark, it's invariably a woman, and she's invariably distracted by trying to light a fag or leaning over to yell at the kids in the back - quite often both at the same time. It's definitely worth walking a bit further from the quiet corners to avoid them...

The other thing I've noticed is that many of the worst drivers seem to be police officers, of either sex - I thought they were meant to have special training, but it appears not.

[Roger-hatchy]

Remeber the Jaspa Carrot sketch.

Mother in law never had an accident, seen thousands, but never had an accident