h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

From a report by the Vehicle Safety Research Centre, Loughborough University, UK.

"women are more likely to be the driver in a collision"

From a report by Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

"researchers at the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Public Health have found that, when the total numbers of crashes are considered, female drivers are involved in slightly more crashes than men. Overall, men were involved in 5.1 crashes per million miles driven compared to 5.7 crashes for women, despite the fact that on average they drove 74 percent more miles per year than did women."

So it seems, from these reports, they're pretty close, at least in the US, but men are involved in less collisions/crashes than women. However men are more likely to be killed in a collision while women are more likely to suffer injuries, especially neck injuries.

Sounds scary. But if what you said about men being more likely to be killed is true, maybe it's men who are more dangerous. For me, I've had a couple of bumps in my car, and once was a close encounter with a piller. The other involved another car, but wasn't at high speed, and we were both fine, just a bit shocked.

They reckon one of the big factors is that men are less likely to wear a seatbelt.

Oh and generaly women have poorer spatial awareness so judge speeds, distances and relative location less well. However that is very generalised.

depends on the woman.

I've been in one accident (with an inanimate object I'm depressed to add) but that was due to my own carelessness. I know a number of males who have reversed into lamps (my inanimate object was below the rear view mirror line so ...)

Men tend to take more risks in driving - they go at faster speeds and do more silly things (racing competitions) and overtake etc. Again generalised.

As for the age old reading the map business....I can read a map but the few times my boyfriend has the map - he gets us lost.....

Yup, that's why I said it was very generalised. I've knew a girl who was as good at navigating as I am and I've also known a girl who could get lost in a field.

I know I tend to be reckless when I ride my bike, but that's not my fault. Or well at least I'm not going to blame myself. It's not my fault that the road suddenly chooses to turn sharply when I'm speeding, or that the tree just happens to jump into my pathway at the last minute. Tut tut.
I think it's a general male thing.
My sis is a really good driver though. Surprisingly.

I've had numerous accidents in cars, but never with another car, and only once with passengers. It might be generalising, but I find that as a bloke I used to drive quick for 'entertainment'. (Used to. I've calmed down nowadays).

I've had plenty of 'moments' on empty roads, with just me and the car and - say - a tree, or perhaps a telegraph pole, maybe the odd bit of armco, a bus stop here and there, the occasional roundabout, etc...

Show me a bit of traffic, or give me passengers, and I become a sensible driver.

Paff

There is that thing of showing off. I know what I'm like when I'm stopped at lights next to a boy racer. It's not good. especially when I'm alone in the car and have Queen on the stereo.

Oooh that's a good point, apparently men are slowing down and women are getting faster and more reckless.

I'm a bad driver! That's me! Although, I've only had my learners for a few months...but I nearly ran over a disabled person on a bike. He shouldn't have been riding in the middle of the road...
And I can't read maps. Although I get A's in navigation in Maths at school. But it's all paper stuff, nothing practical.

So true. Why can't you learn useful stuff in maths at school?

Ask whoever it is that writes the Queensland curriculum. I don't know when any of my Maths class are ever going to land ourselves in a lost boat without GPS and one landmark in sight. And if we do I don't know how knowing where I am on a map is going to help me suddenly learn how to drive a boat.

Very good!
So did you really learn stuff like that at school?

I learned stuff like that in the middle of nowhere in devon.

Yeah well, Devon taught me quite a few things too... Oh! You were meaning the place, were you?

Yes, yes I was...

I just finished learning about that at school yesterday. Got an A on my exam, but it was open book, so of course I did. Oh well, thats what you get for choosing artisitc subjects, then doing not-as-dumb-as-dumb-maths-but-dumber-than-smart-maths-and-smart-smart-maths-maths.
If I had my way I wouldn't be doing Maths at all, I would be doing all performing arts, plus ancient history and english instead of all performing arts, plus ancient history, english and nearly-dumb-maths.

Yeah, cus maths at your level is hard, honest

A-level maths is just cruel. don't know what I was thinking when I decided to do it. I really can't remember. The only people who will *ever* use any of it are maths teacher and really sad people. And if you get a job where you needc it like in NASA surely there are computers that figure it out for you?