Are women safer drivers?

Statistics may be inconclusive but scientific studies show that women may be safer drivers.

IT is true, whispers mechanic Ah Kong.* “Women drivers always drive slow on the fast lanes of the highway. But it is not because they are dreaming, it is because they are too scared to speed up or change lanes,” he says.

When asked why he is whispering, he just grins bashfully.

Like Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin, there are men who think that women are a menace on the road, but unlike the MP, many would not say it out loud.

It is all about perception, Miros director-general Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah opines.

Throughout the world, he says, we are seeing more women drivers on the road. “As a result, women drivers tend to get the attention of other drivers. Somehow, a woman driver will still draw our attention when one passes by. Of course, this is from a male perspective. Therefore, any small error or misjudgment committed will immediately attract attention.”

As he analogises, when we see a woman smoking, we perceive that many women now smoke, “which ironically does not prompt the same reaction when we see men smoking”.

“Similarly, when we see a motorcyclist weaving in and out dangerously, we tend to generalise by saying that all motorcyclists do that, when in effect only a small minority does it,” he adds.

In an analysis of road accidents, Miros has found that male motorists were more accident-prone than women in 2009: the number of male drivers involved in road accidents was 2.4 times higher than that of women.

The analysis was based on police statistics, which recorded 244,336 accident cases involving male drivers in 2009, as compared to 103,153 cases involving women.

This means that for every 100,000 male population there was an average of 1,351.74 accidents while for every 100,000 female population, there was an average of 537.97 accidents, explains Dr Ahmad Farhan.

“These statistics show that men clearly have a higher risk of getting involved in an accident than women.”

But he concedes that a detailed analysis on the statistics revealed an increase in the number of women involved in road accidents between 2006 and 2009, where 67.93% more male drivers were involved in accidents compared to 97.74% for women drivers.

However, he believes this is largely due to the increase in the number women drivers, adding that the cause of accidents, or who caused them, cannot be ascertained from the numbers.

Statistics from the rest of the world also lean towards women being less risky on the road. In many countries, including the UK and Australia (almost double), the number of accidents involving men is higher than those involving women.

These statistics have been translated into lower car insurance rates for women drivers compared to men in those countries, including the US, as women drivers are acknowledged to be having lower risks.

Studies also show that the traits of the different sexes may influence their driving behaviour.

“Generally, women are good at multi-tasking. As driving will also require action and reaction, a multi-tasker may, however, tend to slip up and this may result in being errant in driving,” says Dr Ahmad Farhan.

“Perhaps, this may be the reason, why we witness some women drivers making slip-ups while driving.”

Men are known to have better psychomotor skills, making them highly-confident and, at times, too confident, he points out.

“As a result, a man has the general tendency to drive at high speed, to take chances and to be a greater risk (factor) on the road.”

Women are also known to have poorer spatial ability compared to men, making a woman driver more hesitant with manoeuvres that require space and distance estimation, like entering and passing a junction, overtaking and parking, he adds.

“Hesitation will either make you slowly dangerous, or inadequately and dangerously daring. Both make you a risk to road users,” he notes.

Blogger Chan Lilian of 5xmom argues that this only makes women drivers more cautious.

“It is not a matter of gender. But I believe that women, especially mothers, are more protective and their maternal instincts will make them careful drivers,” she adds.

Their biological make-up does make women and men different kinds of drivers, agrees road safety specialist Roland Tan.

“Studies show that women have better peripheral vision, which makes them more careful on the road.

“Men have tunnel vision and tend to drive faster. However, this also makes men better drivers on the highway while women are better drivers in town roads.”

One study that shows how women may be safer drivers is the research by Britain's Bradford University, which says the female hormone oestrogen can give women the edge when it comes to tasks such as safe driving.

Their research shows that women are able to shift their attention from one stimulus to another, so they are quicker to switch their focus and deal with unexpected events like accidents.

Their hormonal makeup also gives women better attention span and ability to learn rules, it says.

Tan, who runs an advanced driving course, concurs. From his experience, he shares, women are better learners.

“Women are more diligent and absorb knowledge better. Male learners are usually impatient. Some just turn up to sign in for the class and then disappear.”

Socialisation makes men better drivers, though, he opines: men are more interested in cars so they take better care of their cars.

“Usually, men's cars are better maintained, reducing the chances of breakdowns or unwanted incidents, which consequently reduce the risks on the road.”

A general problem, claims Tan, is the attitude of Malaysian drivers who lack the safety-first culture and are impatient on the road.

Nonetheless, he feels that it is a mammoth task to try change the attitudes of the current crop of drivers.

“They have already developed bad habits; we can only start from the younger generation.”

The way to ensure good driving practices, he says, is through enforcement, particularly on errant driving schools that let students pass their driving tests without the required minimum classes, or accept bribes.

Dr Ahmad Farhan agrees and reminds that both genders are equally at risk of being in an accident. He recommends proper risk management as well as enhancing driving competency and prioritisation of safety to reduce the risk of accidents.

As for road rage, a report by some academics at the Social Science and Humanities Faculty of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Angry Thoughts and Aggressive Behaviour Among Malaysian Drivers) found that women tend to score higher in aggressive thoughts than men but they usually do not express their frustration overtly. Instead, many tend to voice their aggression and anger to themselves to cope with their frustration.

When it comes to lapses, errors and accidents, only a marginal difference was recorded between the sexes.

The research, which was published in the European Journal of Social Sciences, was conducted on some 1,800 Malaysian drivers.

Tan, however, feels that women are now more aggressive on the road because they are more vulnerable to male road bullies.

“After years of being bullied on the road, many women are fighting back. For many, it is be fiercer or be bullied off the road',” he quips.

*Not real name

By HARIATI AZIZAN, sunday@thestar.com.my