It is easy to evaluate whether a man or a woman is a better driver if the qualities being judged are safety, obeying the law, arriving at the destination efficiently and promptly and with whom would you rather share a crowded merge section of an interstate highway in high summer.

It is less easy to evaluate if the criteria are speed, arriving first, and most use of the full range of the vehicle's mechanical abilities.

Women generally are more used to carrying passengers and non-family members and are thus more attuned to the safety of the passengers and are more cautious drivers. They will drive with an eye to safety because of being more conscious of their passengers.

Women tend to see less value in confrontation and are thus more likely to come closer to obeying speed limits, stop lights, stop signs in situations where such controls appear to be unnecessary, but actually create a safer, more predictable environment.

Women are more apt to be more fatalistic about traffic and less likely to view it as a competition. Being first to a stop-light, or being three cars ahead of someone else in a mile-long back-up of traffic is normally less important to a woman than it is to a man. This reduces crowding and leaves more space for adjusting to the unexpected.

Men are far more likely to use a vehicle to its full mechanical potential. A man is far more likely to accelerate quickly from a stop testing the engine torque, and far more likely to stop quickly testing the braking ability. Men are far more likely to change lanes quickly and turn quickly testing the steering ability of the car.

Men are more likely to drive faster than women and thus arrive first. They are more likely to attempt a short cut, and thus potentially find new and better routes.

Men are more likely to drive with heightened levels of adrenalin because of their likeliness to be testing mechanical characteristics. Because of the heightened adrenalin they may have quicker reaction times and be better avoiding accidents.

If better means fully utilizing the mechanical abilities of the car, arriving first, and aggressively avoiding danger, go with the guy every time. If better means routine safety, knowing the route, and arriving with the least amount of stress, chose the woman.

Who is the better driver? More women drive with less stress and with a more continuous eye to avoiding dangerous situations. This makes women better drivers.

Learn more about this author, Sarah Remington.
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