WHY DO WE ALLOW THE WIMMINS TO DRIVE?

Lend me your shell-like...

C'mere...

Closer...

A little bit closer...

ALLOW?? PROPERTY??? LET????

I had a theory a while back:

Women tend to see driving as a way to get from point A to point B as quickly as posisble, and they have a lot of point A's and point B's to navigate over the course of the day (thinking soccer mom types.) Men tend to see driving as more an end in and of itself, have more of a relationship with the car, with the act of driving.

I have seen plenty of bad men drivers, but I do have to say that the busy, cell-phone chatting soccer mom type is an especial menace.

.... to keep insurance rates down.

Sozobe, if it makes you feel any better...

I think when Setanta said "most valued property" he was refering to our cars, not our women. (although my woman is pretty valuable too).

Oh. I think you're right.

So they will allow us to drive occasionally if you take my meaning...same reason we let everything else happen.......

Although it is true that people suck at driving in general, women are the worst. Like our genetically driving-challenged Soz said, more men actually enjoy the act of driving...but at the same time leads to more aggressive driving.

So, how do you define a "good" driver? Is it driver's record, or actual driving skills? While you could have some reckless guy who would excel on a race track and controlling his car in emergency situations, but has a poor driving record related to speeding tickets, you could have some clueless woman who never had a mark on her record, annoys everyone to all end by driving 50mph in the passing lane, has no driving ettiquette, and would have no clue how to control her car in an emergency situation?

-the almost stereotypical BMW driver...with a clean driving record.

All the better to run you over with, my dear.

Yeah, I agree, Slappy. I'd define "good" driver as actual driving skills, not record.

Distraction is the main risk factor, I think, and people who are enjoying driving qua driving are less likely to be distracted. I can't tell you how many times a day I have to dodge stupid stupid moms with cell phones at their ears and a blank look in their eyes who gasp and then wave apologetically after they come inches from plowing us over.

The men bad drivers tend to be doing stupid aggressive stuff, gunning it in a parking lot, playing chicken, ("no, YOU get out of MY way"), high-speed zig-zaggy stuff on freeways, etc.

Actually, my wife is a pretty good driver. I like it when she drives on long trips because we take her van and she's more used to driving it. The only weird thing is that she is the one who tends to get lost, not me.

I remember one time years ago, I was driving, I looked over at her, and she had the map upside down with South at the top. Asked why, she said it was because we were going South. I just about lost it.

I have been predicting for a while that the most important technological achievement of this century will be cars that drive themselves.

It is true that humans are incredibly bad drivers -- not just because they are distracted -- but also because most of them haven't got a clue about the best way to avoid traffic jams.

Evidence of this is the traffic jams that start for apparently no reason. They really start up because people dart ahead to fill up any space between them and the next car, and then have to stop to avoid hitting it. This irrational behavior makes overall traffic patterns much more inefficent.

Mathematically it is best to calculate the optimal speed that will keep everyon moving and go that speed. This means there will often be a several car lengths between you and the next car.

If everyone drove like this, everyone would end up getting to their location much sooner.

Computers don't have the irrational psychological need to eliminate any space infront of them. The sooner they take over driving, the better for us all.

God, I had an appalling driving day a couple of weeks ago. I actually did things like changing lanes without looking properly, went into a wrong (albeit a commonly confusing) wrong lane from a traffic light (on a road I drive every working day!!!) and a couple of other things I cannot bear to recount. These are things I would NEVER do normally!!!!

Why do things like that happen??? (NO, it wasn't hormones!!!)

I was so humiliated when I got to work, I was afraid to drive home - but my driving had re-emerged by evening.

In case they go into labor while we're watching the game. You don't expect us to pay for a cab, do you?

The whole "cars that drive themselves" already exist. It's called the subway. Too many people love driving cars, it would never happen in this society.

And to answer your question, dlowan, you have to ask yourself a question.

Do you pee:
a)standing up?
b)sitting down?

If you didn't answer "a," that's your answer. Women can't drive.

To provide cushioning for the young males who drive.

I drive for a living and have a clean driving record.
I drive a sports car, a standard. Trust me when I tell you, the most agressive dangerous drivers I've witnessed are men.

i believe that car insurance rates for women are somewhat better than for men - particularly for younger drivers. i think insurance companies do not like to give money away (i worked for one for almost 30 years; so i speak with some experience) , so they must have figured out that women drivers represent a better/lower risk. if the insurance companies can make more money insuring better drivers at lower premiums, you can bet that they'll go for it; the result being lower insurance premiums for women. i also see more and more women in the long-distance trucking business (not as many women drivers as men - yet); here again i'm sure that women would not find a job if they were unsafe drivers. perhaps someone might argue that a safe driver is not the same as a good driver; well, i'll leave a response to that to the ladies aboard. as far as use of a cell phone while driving is cocerned - i haven't made a count of it. it seems to me there are as many men jabbering on the cell-phone, waving with their hands, shaking their heads(a business deal gone sour ?) as women. i think an interlock should prevent ANY use of a cellphone while a car is in motion. i say : IMPOUND THE CAR ! (that's my rant for the day !). here is a little gem from today's newspaper (chatham daily news) about the possible introduction of photo-radar : ... bringing back photo-radar would basically be an additional tax on vehicle owners in this province, albeit scattered and focused ON THOSE OF US WITH A NEED FOR SPEED (my emphasis). i'd say we should offer these people some broken bones/skull for free - at least the car would remain unblemished (that's my rant for tomorrow). hbg

Watched a woman putting on makeup while on the freeway a little while ago. She panicked when the traffic slowed down, spun out, fish-tailed (backwards) a few times and finally came to a stop sideways across three lanes.

A couple of men crashed into the railing trying to avoid her (idiots), but she was just fine (thank god!) and drove away, while the lesser drivers had to stay and file a report for the insurance companies. Only her skill at the wheel saved her.

She was nice-looking too, so who could ever blame her? One sheepish smile and everything is okay. Besides, wimmin need all the encouragement and empowerment we can give them. If we only took care of them better and provided them with nicer things, then maybe they'd have the opportunity to drive better someday.

Insurance rates? Given their tender condition, wimmin shouldn't have to pay for anything!

In my area it's the men drivers that truly suck.

There's a large regional and situational aspect to this, I think -- what kind of drivers you find where. I am usually walking or driving right around our area during the day, and the traffic is overwhelmingly moms. So while aggressive dangerous male drivers certainly exist (I've seen 'em, including one who totaled my car), my everyday exposure is to the distracted contingent.

When I'm on the freeway, the people I'm swearing at are usually the male hotshots who are swerving through traffic without using turn signals going 30 mph above the speed limit.