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We end the debate: are women or men better drivers?

  • September 17, 2023
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That women are bad drivers There is an unfounded and sexist prejudice. When a female driver crashes, it’s on the news “The female driver was in an accident.”

We end the debate: are women or men better drivers?

That women are bad drivers There is an unfounded and sexist prejudice. When a female driver crashes, it’s on the news “The female driver was in an accident.” Although these types of headlines were made, an accident involving a male driver was said to be male. There is no need to specify this. According to scientific research, there are parts where women are weaker than men when it comes to driving, but there are also parts where they are stronger than men.

Why the two sexes drive differently from each other It is explained by evolutionary biology. Physical differences between men and women play a bigger role in driving skills than you might think.

The effects of the male hormone testosterone on driving ability are quite strong.

Do women or men drive better?

To drive well, you need to have strong visual processing skills. Testosterone increases spatial awareness in men more in tasks such as parking It provides an advantage. Distance, surrounding objects and symbols can have a better meaning. In this way, road conditions are interpreted more quickly. Researchers found that older men who had begun to lose some visual skills experienced an increase in visual processing speed when they took a dose of testosterone. The testosterone share is therefore quite large.

Your ability to understand the relationship between yourself and other objects (vehicles, road structures, etc.) spatial awareness is also important. People with good spatial awareness tend to be more successful in various areas of life, including arts, sports, science, math and driving. Again, some studies show that high testosterone levels can cause damage to cars or objects on the road. can drive without crashing It has been shown to increase spatial awareness, which is vital

It is also necessary to consider the disadvantages of testosterone.

testosterone battle

This hormone associated with aggression We know it is so. Testosterone does not automatically make men aggressive, but it can cause male drivers to take more risks and become overconfident.

Because adolescents, men in their twenties and thirties are more likely to die in a car accident because these are the years when testosterone levels are highest. Therefore, testosterone can sometimes be an advantage and sometimes a disadvantage.

Like testosterone, estrogen can affect driving. Estrogen ensures that women can concentrate better than men while driving.

female driver

Accidents that occur because drivers look away for a moment are quite common. This is it “attention” Women have the advantage in this regard; Because estrogen, increases concentration. Women are not easily distracted, they concentrate 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 have a greater chance than men usually have a better memory This shows that age-related memory loss starts 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 has to do with 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 traffic 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 driving force behind gender behavior.

female brain male brain

Men have a better sense of direction, while women are better at remembering routes. This is why men don’t ask for directions easily, so ego isn’t 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, which allows them to remember a route better. Women play an important role in working memory in the frontal lobes benefit from this advantage because they have more connections.

The reason for the expression “women can’t park like men” is that women have a smaller parietal lobe, which can lead to spatial problems.

female driver male driver

Gentlemen larger surface area in the parietal lobes Therefore, it has an advantage in this regard. Because this part of the brain gives men spatial awareness, it offers advantages in situations such as parallel parking and reversing.

Men have an almond-shaped brain structure that is associated with emotions, especially negative ones (anger, fear, aggression). have larger amygdalas. 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 body that matures faster than men. It has a prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain gives people the ability to regulate emotions and behavior. This is the part that is activated when we ‘think about things’. Because the area of ​​this area is larger in women, this explains why they take fewer risks than men.

So what do the statistics say? To do this, if you go to the place where it all began, you will get an idea: the driver’s license exam results

driving license exam results

A study conducted in Britain found that there were more female drivers The percentage of failed driver’s license exams It was revealed that this percentage is higher and that this percentage increases as we grow older.

Findings obtained in this study:

  • 17-year-old female drivers are 7% more likely to fail their driving test than men.
  • This rate increases to 15% for women who take the exam at age 20.
  • By age 30, women are 25% more likely to fail than men.
  • At age 35, that number rises to 41%.
  • At age 50, women are 50% more likely to fail than men at that age.

So why are female drivers at such a disadvantage? In addition to differences in brain structure and hormones social conditioning She also has a share in this.

Men are more successful in the driving test, but have more accidents than women.

accident male smoking

Men earn $15,000 more than women over their lifetime insurance premium It paid. Men under the age of 25 are leading in this regard. Because men, especially young people, tend 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 fines and violate traffic signs/lights. Men obey traffic rules more than women It violates twice as much. So if you are in a car driven by a female driver, you should feel safer.

Women are also not without risk. In some cases they can be more dangerous than men.

accident phone

  • Women respond to messages while driving 5% more often than men.
  • 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 is in what they do.

In summary; Men are better at driving than women, but if you’re in a car driven by a woman, you’ll be much safer.

female bus driver

Regardless of whether the driver is a man or a woman, practical and good habits, will make everyone better behind the wheel. There are many women who make a living repairing or racing cars and outperform male drivers. It also doesn’t mean that every man will be aggressive just because he has testosterone.

Resulting in everything It depends on the individual, not the gender. Although both men and women excel in different types of skills, they can both be great drivers.

male and female drivers

Sources: 1, 2

Source: Web Tekno

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