Women are better drivers than men

[Eichhörnchen]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Personal experiences are never a good indicator of...well, anything. Since this has happened to you "on so many occasions", are you sure it isn't you who has a problem paying attention?

How is a woman driver coming at me the wrong way round a roundabout anything to do with me not paying attention? And how are women suddenly pulling out of sidestreets and parking places right across my path anything to do with me not paying attention? And are aggressive female tailgaters there also because I'm not paying attention? I believe that it's because I am paying attention that I survive

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

How is a woman driver coming at me the wrong way round a roundabout anything to do with me not paying attention? And how are women suddenly pulling out of sidestreets and parking places right across my path anything to do with me not paying attention?

That's why I asked. People going the wrong way on a roundabout (I hate those things anyway) I can't do anything about. On the other hand, I had a friend a few years back who called me on his phone while driving. All of a sudden he yelled and swore then said something about the woman who had pulled out right in front of him. I didn't say anything at the time, but I had to wonder if her pulling out had really been that sudden.

I was in an accident thirteen years ago when something caught my eye off to the side of the highway. I probably only glanced for a second or two, but when I looked back the traffic was stopped right in front of me. My car was totaled and I was lucky to only have some bruised ribs plus some skin torn off my forearms (I hate airbags too). Entirely my fault, but it only takes one second.

And are aggressive female tailgaters there also because I'm not paying attention?

I encounter lots of tailgaters of both persuasions. The number I think are actually being aggressive are fairly few. Most of them just find it easier to pull right behind somebody, not because they want to go faster but because it's easier to not think about what you're doing when the other car is that close. Just pull up and zone out.

It's not that I doubt your word, but it's been my experience that most people think they're better drivers than they actually are. Me, I know exactly how bad I am. On the other hand the LE and Insurance statistics say what they say for a reason.

[Aktungbby]

^ Yankee left-side driving 101:roundabouts (like women) are "not for the faint of heart"...

Horror stories about driving overseas are fun to tell, but driving in the British Isles is really only a problem for those who make it one. The most dangerous creature on the road is the panicked tourist. Drive defensively, observe, fit in, avoid big-city driving when you can, and wear your seat belt.

Having driven in Ireland, Scotland and England (not London-too dangerous for Yanks) and roundabouts in an eighteen-wheeler in New Jersey...

[Buddahaid]

Rounabouts are just now getting installed occasionally so people here are inexperienced with them, and judging by how many already do not understand, or comply with, yield signs and right of way rules it's not surprising. There is also a lot more just brazen lawlessness, people who just must be in the overtaking lane but don't overtake, people that are lost and do their thinking in the middle of the road, people who don't pay attention at traffic lights, people who run red lights, people who clog intersections, well just people being people but at speeds fast enough to kill.

[Eichhörnchen]

That surprises me what you say about roundabouts, I assumed you used them of old. They are fraught with problems, not least because they are not all the same; some have multiple approach lanes/exits and when these ones are in the middle of a big city with the arrows on the roads indicating your direction of travel obscured by other vehicles... well... mistakes are often made. I make them, so I don't profess to be the ideal road user, but I am a careful one

[Sean C]

My motorcycle used to be my only mode of transportation. I rode it nearly every day for years - rain or shine ... or even snow! Being so vulnerable and easily overlooked on the road tends to make one more attentive to what other drivers are doing - and planning to do. I don't do other things while I'm driving. I look around and check my mirrors often, and ninety-nine times out of one hundred I can tell you what another driver is going to do. Anticipating that and staying out of harm's way has kept me out of many bad situations.

In summary: everyone on the road is a bad driver ... except me.

Seriously though, it does help to think as though everyone else is trying to hit you and drive accordingly. It's called "defensive driving", and it can save your life. That's how I survived all those years on the bike - because it really did seem like everyone was out to kill me.

[Eichhörnchen]

^Good and proper advice.

We have a road-safety slogan in the UK aimed at protecting motorcyclists... THINK ONCE, THINK TWICE, THINK BIKE... although it must also include awareness of cyclists. Emerging from side roads is a time to be especially aware (not an issue at all for that driver I encountered yesterday, but she was probably thinking about more important things).

[Jimbuna]

^ Not much can be done other than driving defensively but you could consider following my example and purchasing a dash cam which if nothing else, will help in any future insurance claims.

I do miss not having the 'blues and twos' these days though.

[Skybird]

Female drivers messing a traffic situation up, get more attention than male drivers doing the same. So subjective perception seems to tell that females are the worse drivers, and on more occaisons. But I am with statistics here, and statistics seem to not support this impression.

Male drivers using car driving as a form of aggressive courtship behaviour and fighting for the chicks' attention, are the bigger problem. Males of any age also are known to will greater risk-taking, in general, not just in car driving and traffic.

Many males seem to think that good driving is an exclusive male domain. Thus this territory gets bitterly defended. Truth seems to be however that female drivers on average are less aggressive, less conflict-ready drivers. This then gets interpreted by men as weakness, and so the male self-perception stands.

[ChrisTayeb]

u should see me wife driving

[u crank]

Originally Posted by Nathaniel B.

In summary: everyone on the road is a bad driver ... except me.

You have no idea how many times I have told my wife that. She doesn't seem to believe me.