There is an unfounded and sexist prejudice that women are bad drivers. When a female driver has an accident, the news reads “Female driver had an accident.” While headlines such as these are made, when a male driver has an accident, there is no need to state that he is a man. According to scientific research, there are parts where women are weaker than men in terms of driving, but there are also parts where they are stronger than men.
The reason why the two genders drive in different ways relative to each other is explained by evolutionary biology. Physical differences between men and women play a bigger role in driving ability than you might imagine.
The effects of the male hormone testosterone on driving skills are quite strong.
To drive well, you need to have strong visual processing skills. Testosterone increases spatial awareness in men, giving them a greater advantage in tasks such as parking. Distance, surrounding objects and symbols can be given better meaning. In this way, road conditions are interpreted more quickly. Researchers found that older men who had begun to lose some visual abilities experienced an increase in visual processing speed when they took a dose of testosterone. So the share of testosterone is quite large.
Spatial awareness, which is your ability to understand the relationship between yourself and other objects (vehicles, structures on the road, etc.), is also important. People with good spatial awareness tend to be more successful in various areas of life, including art, sports, science, mathematics and driving. Some studies have also shown that high testosterone levels increase spatial awareness, which is vital for being able to drive without hitting cars or objects on the road.
It is also necessary to consider the disadvantages of testosterone.
We know that this hormone is associated with aggression. Testosterone does not automatically make men aggressive, but it can cause male drivers to take more risks and have overconfidence.
That’s why teenagers and men in their twenties and thirties are more likely to die in a car accident because these are the years when testosterone levels are at their highest. Therefore, testosterone can sometimes be an advantage and sometimes a disadvantage.
Like testosterone, estrogen can have an effect on driving. Estrogen allows women to concentrate better than men while driving.
Accidents that occur due to drivers looking away for a moment are quite common. It is in this matter of “attention” that women have the advantage; because estrogen increases concentration. Women are not easily distracted, they focus better on the road ahead.
Memory also plays an important role in being a good driver. Elements such as remembering the route and arrival time are related to memory. Research shows that women tend to have better memories than men, and age-related memory loss begins later in women than in men. Perhaps the reason why a man who is told “Take bread with you when you come” comes home without buying bread is related to this situation.
The biggest difference between men’s testosterone dominance and women’s estrogen dominance is behavior. We often associate estrogen with empathy. This isn’t the only reason why women show affection, but it plays an important role. Therefore, female drivers are more likely to obey road rules, not argue with other drivers, and not take unnecessary risks.
Hormones may fuel differences between men and women, but the brain is the real engine behind gender behavior.
Men have a better sense of direction, while women are better at remembering routes. This is why men do not ask for directions easily, so ego is not the only reason for this. It’s all about the hippocampus. This part of the brain allows people to create mental maps and navigate city streets without getting lost, and studies have shown that men use this part of the brain more when driving.
Women, on the other hand, remember landmarks and objects better, allowing them to remember a route better. Women enjoy this advantage because they have more connections in their frontal lobes, which play an important role in working memory.
The reason for the phrase “women can’t park like men” is that women have a smaller parietal lobe, which can lead to spatial difficulties.
Men have an advantage in this regard due to the larger surface area of their parietal lobes. Since this part of the brain provides men with spatial awareness, it provides advantages in situations such as parallel parking and reversing.
Men have larger amygdalas, an almond-shaped brain structure associated with emotions, especially negative ones (anger, fear, aggression). When exposed to threatening or stressful situations, the amygdala “lights up,” prompting male drivers to take action. This can lead to situations such as reacting angrily to a driver.
Women have a larger prefrontal cortex that matures faster than men. This part of the brain gives people the ability to regulate emotions and behavior. This is the part that gets activated when we “think things through.” Since the surface area of this area is larger in women, it explains why they take fewer risks than men.
So what do the statistics say? For this, going to the place where everything started will give you an idea: Driving license exam results
A study conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that female drivers have a higher rate of failing their driving test compared to men, and this rate increases as they get older.
Findings obtained in this research:
- 17-year-old female drivers are 7% more likely to fail their driving test than males.
- This rate increases to 15% for women who take the exam at the age of 20.
- By age 30, women are 25% more likely to fail than men.
- At 35, that number rises to 41%.
- At age 50, women are 50% more likely to fail than men at that age.
So why do female drivers have such a disadvantage? In addition to differences in brain structure and hormones, social conditioning also plays a role in this.
Men are more successful in the driving test but have more accidents than women.
Men pay $15,000 more for insurance over their lifetimes than women. Men under the age of 25 lead in this regard. Because men, especially young ones, have a tendency to drive aggressively.
Despite men’s cognitive advantages such as visual, spatial and motor processing, they are more likely to be involved in fatal or serious accidents. Men are also more likely to receive speeding tickets and violate traffic signs/lights. Men violate traffic rules twice as often as women. So, if you are in a car driven by a female driver, you should feel safer.
Women are not risk-free either. In some cases, they can be more dangerous than men.
- Women are 5% more likely than men to respond to messages while driving.
- Women are 11% more likely to snack while behind the wheel than men.
As a result, both men and women can succumb to dangerous habits while driving. The difference lies in what they do.
In summary; Men are more competent at driving than women, but if you are in a car driven by a woman, you are much safer.
Regardless of whether the driver is male or female, practice and good habits will make everyone behind the wheel better. There are many women who make a living by repairing or racing cars and outperform male drivers. Also, it does not mean that every man will be aggressive just because he has testosterone.
Ultimately, it all depends on the individual, not the gender. Although both men and women excel at different types of skills, they can both be great drivers.
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