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| Britain |
| Men really are better drivers (according to Chief Driving Examiner) |
| 2005-02-13 |
| No one's trying to stir up trouble. This is important. Britain's chief driving examiner has risked the wrath of the country's women motorists by declaring that men are better drivers. Robin Cummins, who oversees the driving tests of 1.5m learners each year as the chief instructor for the Driving Standards Agency, claims men display more natural ability. Not only are they better at control and manoeuvring, they also need less tuition. He says a man learning to drive needs on average 12.2 hours of lessons and has a 46% pass rate. Women need an average of 15.3 hours of tuition and their pass rate is 40%. While women take an average of 2.12 tests to pass, men need 1.87. "I'm not saying anything that isn't in the figures," says Cummins. "Of course there are plenty of women who are excellent drivers and plenty of men who are terrible, but overall it does seem to be that men can pick up the basic skills more quickly. With young men there seems to be more natural ability. Some females — though not all — take a lot more teaching." For both sexes the pass rate is highest for 17-year-olds (56% for women and 60% for men) and lowest for those 50 and over (29% for both men and women). Reversing is the most common problem for women failing the test. The Advertising Standards Authority has rejected complaints that a poster claiming women were better drivers than men was untrue after an insurance company presented evidence to back the statement. It accepted women in general had fewer accidents and had made fewer claims. But a study by another insurance firm showed a women was, on average, more likely to have an accident and her claims would be higher. |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #19 I learned to drive on a manual, Mama's Volkswagen Beetle. Then Daddy had me test using his automatic whatever-it-was, because it would be easier for me (I gave Mama her first grey hairs that year). Failed the bloody test 5 times because there was no stick shift or clutch. I didn't drive an automatic again until I was 25, and am still not happy without something for my right hand and left foot to do... But I must shamefacedly admit to being almost stereotypically bad behind the wheel. And my ability to get lost is becoming legendary. Trailing Daughter has taken to volunteering to take over if I appear to be tired. She is very much looking forward to getting her temps in 18 months, just to replace me. We'll all be happier, I think, although I solemnly promise you all that it will be Mr. Wife who teaches her, not me. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-02-13 10:49:00 PM |
| #18 In Germany driver lessons are usually given on manual cars so few people ever have an issue. And face it: Would you really want to drive a Porsche at 150mph on the autobahn with automatic gear??? |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-02-13 8:44:23 PM |
| #17 Been there, done that, TGA. Scotland. Hadn't driven a stick-shift in 20 years. As soon as I got into traffic driving on the left side of the road, the stick-shift was the least of my concerns. When I got to a traffic circle, praying set in. |
| Posted by: Tom 2005-02-13 8:43:39 PM |
| #16 My defensive driving instructor stood a cigarette on its butt on the dash and said: "OK, handle the stick like it's your girlfriend's knee. Now drive. And don't tip my fag over." |
| Posted by: Asedwich 2005-02-13 8:37:50 PM |
| #15 When I learned to drive a manual on a grade, Thomas, the guy I was working for, took my watch and put it behind the rear wheel. I didn't roll backward. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-02-13 8:15:02 PM |
| #14 Starting a manual car on a hill is a mandatory part of the UK driving test. I first learned to drive in the midlle of the Fens, where it is flat as a billiard table as far as the eye can see. The only place where you could practice a hill start was in places where a road ascended the side of a embankment along side the drainage canals that cross the region. Basically you had about 25 feet of roadway before you landed in the canal. I'll never forget the instructor always took off his seatbelt and put one hand on the emergency brake before every attempt. I asked if he had ever gone into the canal. His reply was "More than once." |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-02-13 8:10:08 PM |
| #13 I did the Heathrow thing in July of 82. Made it through the roundabout with everyone honking at me. My first experience driving on the left. Then drove through Wales dodging sheep. Got to be a regular trooper in Ireland. We kept a jug of Paddy Whiskey under the seat for conversation lube when we talked to farmers. Got REAL good at driving down one lane roads with stone fences and a big assed lorry barreling down on us. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-02-13 8:06:07 PM |
| #12 They also have round-a-bouts in Boston. I was stuck on one for three days back in '91. I learned to drive a manual transmission on a farm in South Alabama, otherwise known as LA (Lower Alabama). |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-02-13 7:58:22 PM |
| #11 "Look kids, Big Ben!" |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-02-13 7:56:38 PM |
| #10 Study hell AP, that's a FOX series. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-02-13 7:55:00 PM |
| #9 Well, we can conduct a scientific experiment: Rent a car out of Heathrow Airport with a manual transmission. Get some men and women for the study group who drive with steering wheels on the left side of the car. Let them drive out of Heathrow during rush hour and have them go through a roundabout. Set up a methodology and scoring system. Take pictures inside the car and outside on the roundabout. Gather data. Do some Stat 101 on the experiment. Summarize results in a study. See what happens. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-02-13 7:42:12 PM |
| #8 TGA: I don't like manuals. I can drive a manual on flat ground, but I just don't have hills to practice on around here. (Oh, and I thought I'd clarify: I usually think a lot of the arguments about "women can't do math" are bunk, for reasons which I'll be glad to discuss at another time. I just keep thinking of that "Evolution of man and woman" cartoon from a while back...) |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-02-13 6:12:24 PM |
| #7 Well Seafarious, I have seen grown up American men panic when they rented a car in Europe and discovered that it was a non-automatic! |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-02-13 6:08:45 PM |
| #6 Better math skills, because someone has to count the bananas! |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-02-13 6:07:48 PM |
| #5 Can one of you fine gents drive up to the store for me? I need some more hair spray, PMS pills, and bonbons. Then could you swing by the dry cleaners'? My frocks are ready to be picked up. Thanks ever so. All those...what are they called, gears? are sooooo confusing... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-02-13 6:01:15 PM |
| #4 and the two brains that think for us |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-02-13 5:44:42 PM |
| #3 Exactal! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-02-13 5:34:45 PM |
| #2 Are you trying to imply that we make up in math what we lack in verbal skills? :-) |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-02-13 5:33:26 PM |
| #1 Itn bekause of our extra math gene. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-02-13 5:27:48 PM |