DailyDirt: Who Drives Best -- Men, Women... Or Robots?
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
If you believe in gender stereotypes, then you probably think that men are better drivers than women. However, auto insurance companies are inclined to believe that women are actually safer drivers. It's a hotly debated topic, but it's safe to say that there are lots of bad drivers -- both men and women -- on the road. That's why we need robot cars. Here are a few links to some driving-related studies.- A New York City traffic study found that male drivers were responsible for 80% of car accidents in which pedestrians were severely injured or killed. Blame it on testosterone, which increases aggression and risk-taking. [url]
- A University of Michigan analysis of 6.5 million car accidents in the U.S. between 1998-2007 found that female drivers were responsible for 68.1% of all crashes. Apparently, women have trouble navigating intersections, as they were most often hit on the driver's or passenger side while trying to turn left or right. [url]
- A more recent UK study showed that women are actually better at parking than men, dispelling the myth that men have better spatial awareness than women. According to the professional driving instructor who created the study, men learn and perform better during driving lessons, but it's possible that women retain what they learn better than men. [url]
- Let the car park itself. Many automakers, including Ford, Toyota, and BMW, are offering self-parking systems in their vehicles now. While they can guide cars into parking spaces with minimal driver involvement, they aren't always reliable. [url]
- To discover more interesting car-related content, check out what's driving around StumbleUpon. [url]
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: accidents, autonomous vehicles, cars, drivers, gender stereotypes, parking, robots
Companies: bmw, ford, toyota
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
They also use speeding tickets as a metric, which as we know is bogus. Speeding tickets have nothing to do with safety and everything to do with lining the city coffers. Also, how many men have cried their way out of a ticket?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Crying games
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
It makes me want to say "screw it" to trying to live right and just starting my own racket instead.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Even toned down, that easily answers the superficially oxymoronic question of why insurance companies treat women as better drivers even though men cause fewer accidents.
But then, with an equally straight face, he compared Loverboy favorably to the Beatles.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ummm,
Blame it on dumb-asses crossing without paying attention.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
He was overheard saying to one of his female drivers..."Have sex with me and I'll forget how poorly you park".
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sorry, old memes die hard. ;)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Men are better drivers
Driving very slowly and waiting till the roads are empty at junctions may be safe, but it's not 'better'.
How many women are in car racing? Very few, and don't say it's because it a 'man's world' - the fastest driver will win whatever sex they are.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Men are better drivers
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Maid Service
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
IQ
If you're a half wit, you are more likely to get into a dangerous situation in a car because your brain power isn't up to the task of comprehending vehicle dynamics in real time.
Robotic control of vehicle brakes/dynamics in emergency situations is fine and most definitely preferred, but.... increased driver SCREENING and TRAINING is what is required for drivers on public roads.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]