Perception on Ladies driving Big Cars / SUV

[Sar]

Great thread! I think most of my girlfriends would have a laugh. A good driver is a good driver. All my friends here drive SUV's/4x4's and wouldn't have it any other way. My closest friend is a fiend behind the wheels, and she is amazing. Can handle any car she drives. I learned to drive at 15, and it was in an old refitted army jeep, so I guess I prefer a larger car. Thanks to all the blokes who don't think gender matters. Safety does.

[DKG]

Based on the perspective of women I know who always prefered an SUV most seem to feel more comfortable in traffic as a result of the commanding view, feel less intimidated by others on the road and actually like the agressive looks of the SUV. The last point is usually made with a glint in the eye!!

Apart from this they also feel SUV's are safer. Interestingly utility really never figured as criteria in their decision to buy a SUV otherwise I guess MPV's should have been popular with them.

Children also almost invariably prefer SUV's so that kinda helps Mom to plonk for a big beast.

[asejwal]

The thread seems to have gathered a lot of support for women drivers. I guess a lot many of you guys have not been at the receiving end!
I fully agree with what snaronikar has to say
- have you guys even noticed how women leer on to the steering wheel to catch a better glimpse of the road around their car
- have you not noticed how they drive with impunity; they are least bothered about what is going around them on the road; they just drive on whether they are in the centre of the road or someone is honking - nothing seems to have any effect on them
- have you not noted how poor their reflexes are - the moment they are confronted with a situation when they need to react within split-seconds, they are doomed.
- the only reason why these days big vehicles and SUVs are being preferred by ladies is because they can 'bully' around on the road with people maintaining safe distance from them. It gives them a false sense of security. Agreed, driving SUVs does not call for greater muscle power - but it definitely calls for a better judgement owing to the larger size of the car, better driving skills - again because you are driving a big vehicle and you have a larger social responsibility of driving carefully unless you mow a two-wheeler down even without realising you have done it. Females prefer big vehicles in modern times also because of the 'show-off' factor - have you not noticed how bizarre and rash women are when they drive Scorpios and Safaris. Of course, you cannot generalise - there are exceptions; but largely, this rashness is owing to poor driving skills, poor reflexes and poor judgement - but they do get away because as it is people are wary of women driving and then on top of it an SUV - hence, people maintain safe distance.
I know I am inviting the wrath of many when I write all this but I myself drive a Sierra and I know what effort it takes to drive a big vehicle on road... You simply cannot expect this from female drivers the driving skills of whom are famous not just in India but the world over...

[sam003]

I do agree with this statement, women prefer to drive big cars. My wife in her college days drove Qualis and after marriage when I bought Xing she kept to saying buy bigger one. Then I end up buying Honda City, now again I am having a pressure to buy CRV or Safari or Scorpio . Even my sister commented when I sold City and Bought i10 for them. They said we can drive big cars, any ways there is no space to drive in Delhi, so how does it matters whether you are driving i10 or Safari. At least people get scared when they see Big Beast on their way, they keep difference between them and you.

[girlieonwheels]

Originally Posted by s0uljah

Very well written. Good to have you on board

Thank you so much for the encouragement.

[shankar.balan]

Well Done Ma'am!

Welcome on board with your views!

I could not agree more as my younger sis feels exactly as you have so succinctly put it.
When she used to drive their Scorp and now Innova, she says to me that invariably a number of "Gentlemen" drivers feel that they need somehow to prove a point to her, even if she is quietly and innocuously going about her business.
She is a good driver - learned her driving in the hills when we were teenagers so I can fully appreciate her point on this.
I totally agree with your point that "drivers" per se, cannot be typecast - be they women or men!

Originally Posted by girlieonwheels

Ok, I guess a woman should pitch in and put her view here:

Drivers are just drivers, no women and no men. Similarly, good drivers and bad drivers are just drivers again no women and men.

And people who are insensitive towards other drivers will sooner or later get into trouble. So no sweat!

[shankar.balan]

not quite correct on this.Sorry.
With power assisted steering and electric everything else, bone structure has little to do with it. I know several other ladies - my friend's wives etc who are equally comfortable with jeeps/ SUV's. Therefore, I am not making a sweeping conclusion but more a statement based on a reasonable sample pool of data. Just drive around in Punjab and in Coorg and other rural/ plantation district areas for a bit and see for yourself - a lady does not have to be big built and so on to be able to handle an SUV easily and well. Some of those lady drivers are absolutely first class, the way they deal with such large vehicles. and while the Crossover vehicle preference may be there, the term Soccer Mom is NOT ONLY associated with Minivans but also SUV's. and I think our fellow member "girlieonwheels" is bang on target with her comment. It wouldnt therefore be correct to typecast or stereotype in this case.

Originally Posted by Mpower

It has to very much with physical structure. I agree it just what a person feels comfortable in but how do you explain that 99.5% of women dont feel comfortable in Jeeps. You sister is an exception but we cannot make any sweeping conclusions based on that.

As far as ladies in the west, they like crossover SUVs for the high seating position which is perceived with safety and also for good visibility. The term soccer mom is associated with minivans and not SUVs.

[shankar.balan]

ripper old chap
you are absolutely bang on, in this statement
it is usually us guys who tend to exaggerate the perceived "faults" of lady drivers, when most times it is the guys who create havoc on the roads - read: taxi drivers/ auto drivers etc. when a lady is driving a big car, these creatures feel somehow inadequate and try to do all sorts of rubbish. You can see it quite often on tamil movies and so on, where the "Hero" is idolized by his idiot followers, despite indulging in horrible things like eve teasing etc, usually on board some sort of "college bus" or motorbike/ autorickshaw/ dad's car etc.
No wonder that the larger masses who dont have the benefit of education, tend to wrongly emulate this type of behaviour!

What I personally will never endorse is typecasting whether on this forum or elsewhere because it is very very clear that there are equally as many if not more bad drivers amongst the male gender as there are i"bad" drivers amongst the ladies.

Originally Posted by rippergeo

I think the percentage of men following the rules in india will be the same as women. We tend to notice poor driving in women more, so we exaggerate the problem. in reality, they are probably just as bad/good as men are.

about stereotyping, I have one stereotype about women drivers- they are far less prone to road rage/ego clashes. And they usually dont enter mine is bigger than yours situations like we men do.

[teknophobia]

All I can do is quote two instances from my experiences. A lady driving a scorpio blocking two lanes of traffic while she feeds her kid and another in an esteem sedately travelling at 30-35 kmph in the middle lane of a three lane highway. But then again today morning I had a SX4 beside me which would neither overtake me nor slow down slightly to let me switch into the lane which was empty ahead of him.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by snaronikar

I agree but not 100%. But when you compare, almost 80% of women drivers will the driving the same way (or wrong way). Never follow the lane rules, driving in centre of road, not giving way even if the roads are empty in front of them. If we want to overtake, then we nave to do the same from left side which is too dangerous. This is my own experience on day in and day out. I'am not informing that men does not do this, but most of them do care fror some rules. Even the BMTC drivers do give way if we ask the way....

All that you have said are done my 'stupid men' drivers also.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

The vehicle my wife years to own and drive around is the Ford Endeavour. To her, given a choice, she would anyday prefer an SUV over a small car.

Another Ford fan eh ?

[praveen_v]

I feel men generally are more attached to the machine they own. As a result most(and not all) enjoy their drive and are more aware of the situation not only before the vehicle, but all around it. As a result they make better drivers big or small cars.

Women are less attached to their machines. They use it as a means of transportation. point A to point B travel and want to do it the easiest possible way. They have other things in mind and driving pleasure does not have a high priority. This is the case with the majority of the women and there are others who enjoy their drive, are good drivers. But they are few.

There are exceptions to both genders but according to me it's the attachment they share with the machine that makes the difference on the road.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by snaronikar

I agree but not 100%. But when you compare, almost 80% of women drivers will the driving the same way (or wrong way). Never follow the lane rules, driving in centre of road, not giving way even if the roads are empty in front of them. If we want to overtake, then we

When did women take the drivers seat in the cabs/auto's/buses ?

Whatever said, we have our fair share of good drivers when it comes to the fairer sex also. A general statement like this doesn't hold any grounds unless proven. Rotten apples are found in all shapes and sizes doesn't mean the whole lot (like you mentioned 80%) has atrocious driving skills. Come' on give it a break am sure most of the lady drivers ( better half's of tbhpians)drive well .

Originally Posted by sridhga

I believe that your gender has nothing to do with your driving or the size of the car you drive, but I would like to point out in the US car insurance companies quote higher for female drivers. Just an observation.

Well said my friend, it has nothing to do with the sex more of an issue with the chicken brains these damned drivers have.

Originally Posted by girlieonwheels

Drivers are just drivers, no women and no men. Similarly, good drivers and bad drivers are just drivers again no women and men.

Well put and an apt view.

[nirmalts]

Now a survey says women are BETTER drivers than men

It's official: Women are better drivers than men
Thu, Aug 28 05:35 PM

Wellington, Aug 28 (ANI): When it comes to driving, women are better than men, according to a new survey.

The latest survey AA Insurance found that while men were more confident in their driving, it didn't make them better than the opposite sex.
In the poll of 2573 drivers, aged between 18 and 75, a quarter of men described themselves as impatient drivers, compared with 19 per cent of women.

"Men are more inclined than women to exhibit a range of risk taking behaviours while on the road," the NZPA quoted AA Insurance chief executive Chris Curtin, as saying.

"Men are more inclined to speed, show aggression, fall asleep behind the wheel and to identify themselves as impatient," he added.

According to the study, a relatively high 15 per cent of men admitted they exceeded the speed limit most of the time, even if only by a few kilometres per hour, compared with only 9 per cent of women.

However, the majority of both genders admitted breaking the speed limit at least some of the time - 79 per cent of women and 78 per cent of men, the study found.

Also, a quarter of men surveyed men had momentarily fallen asleep at the wheel, compared with 13 per cent of women.

When asked what they would do if tired when driving, 51 per cent of women said they would stop to take a power nap, compared with 46 per cent of men.

Some 53 per cent of men and 51 per cent of women admitted yelling or gesturing at another driver for doing something they perceived as dangerous or rude.

Analysis of historical claims data from AA Insurance found that on average women made around 6 per cent more claims than men, but their average cost of their claims was lower than men. (ANI)

It's official: Women are better drivers than men - Yahoo! India News

Nirmal

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by nirmalts

Now a survey says women are BETTER drivers than men

It's official: Women are better drivers than men
Thu, Aug 28 05:35 PM

Do you really believe that?

Its not about how big or how small the car is, but the fact is....

"Most of the women are not at all good in driving and they never will."

This is not just me saying, it was proven by some research that there is a difference in the way men and women perceive a vehicle and that reflects while driving it.

* When men drive, they think the whole car as an extension of their body and it works so well. Natrural driving at its best. cheers:

* Women, take driving as controlling a big machine with the set of controls provided (steering, gear, gas pedal, clutch & brake). This way is more difficult when it comes to natural driving.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

not quite correct on this.Sorry.
With power assisted steering and electric everything else, bone structure has little to do with it. I know several other ladies - my friend's wives etc who are equally comfortable with jeeps/ SUV's. Therefore, I am not making a sweeping conclusion but more a statement based on a reasonable sample pool of data. Just drive around in Punjab and in Coorg and other rural/ plantation district areas for a bit and see for yourself - a lady does not have to be big built and so on to be able to handle an SUV easily and well. Some of those lady drivers are absolutely first class, the way they deal with such large vehicles. and while the Crossover vehicle preference may be there, the term Soccer Mom is NOT ONLY associated with Minivans but also SUV's. and I think our fellow member "girlieonwheels" is bang on target with her comment. It wouldnt therefore be correct to typecast or stereotype in this case.

Punjab and Coorg do not make up India. Secondly pretty much everyone in Coorg drives an SUV because of the terrain (sorry dont know what the story is in Punjab). I am not arguing that there are 100s of women that are driving SUV, but the data shows that there are millions that are prefering smaller compact cars and driving them, so I'm not sure what you are arguing about.

I think you are focusing too much on my statement about physical structure (while its true, it's is just one of the reasons). The main point is that women dont associate SUV with a macho image because I guess there is no such thing as macho for women.
Agreed that latest cars have power steering etc but still a short person will find it hard to manuver a large vehicle in Indian traffic. I have data to show you that in the US, many women cannot reach and operate the brake pedal effectively in full size SUV, and that is why Ford, GM etc are offering electrically adjustable pedals.

Stereotypes dont just pop out of the air. They are formed because there is ample evidence that supports it. There are always exceptions and that is what you are focusing upon.