Are women really worse drivers than men?
“Women drivers are like stars in the sky. You can see them, but they can’t see you”.
Tired clichés like these might seem like a thing of the past, but they persist more than we might care to admit.
We’re all about bucking tradition when it comes to driving and we think that car-use should be equally accessible to everyone. For International Women’s Day 2024, we’re examining the myths around women drivers and debunking them once and for all. Let’s get to it.
Myth #1: Men are more reliable drivers than women
Despite the stereotype that men have better control over their vehicle, women are statistically more reliable drivers than their male counterparts. According to The New York Times, male drivers of cars and vans had twice the rate of fatal accidents per mile driven. Male truck drivers had about four times the rate of women truckers, and men driving motorcycles almost 12 times the rate of women motorcyclists.
It’s a similar picture in the UK, where a large study found male drivers were almost four times more likely to commit an infraction than women drivers. This discrepancy is reflected in the prices of car insurance, which are often lower for women. All this is pretty solid proof that we can throw the idea of unsafe women drivers onto the scrapheap of history!
Women on the road to making car history
Celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month by learning about key figures in driving and automotive history
Myth #2: Men are better technical drivers than women
One study conducted by American vehicle recovery firm Netstar found that women drivers outperform men in a number of metrics that relate to technical precision, from harsh cornering, hitting potholes and harsh braking and acceleration.
Another study that examined 2500 drivers across 700 parking lots found that when it comes to parking, men may drive into the spot faster — indicating a confidence in their own ability — but women are actually technically more accurate when parking. Something to consider, lads, next time you offer a woman parking advice.
Myth #3: Men have a better sense of direction than women
Hmm, the jury is still very much out on this one.
It’s a common cliché that men tend not to ask for directions. Perhaps this is why a 2010 study conducted by women’s-only car insurance firm Sheila’s Wheels found that an average man drives an extra 276 miles every year as a result of being lost.
More recently, in January 2024, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign published research suggesting that men do tend to outperform female counterparts in navigation and spatial tasks, but the reason is socialization, rather than a natural aptitude.
The study found that in cultures where males travel further from their homes than women in order to forage, whereas for populations where both sexes share the long-distance foraging work, there is no significant difference between the sexes.In other words, men are only better at finding their way around when they do more finding their way around. Thanks to brain plasticity, women who lack confidence in navigation can develop this skill, which leads us to our final myth…
Myth #4: Men always take the lead driving long distances
Though women now make up around half of all drivers, men still seem to dominate when it comes to driving on longer trips and holidays. A 2021 IFOP survey found that 8 out of 10 cars are driven by men during longer trips.
We believe the future of driving is shared, and that includes within families and couples. While traditional rental agencies have second-driver fees, Getaround drivers are not charged extra for additional users — so there’s no excuse not to share the wheel on your next trip!
We’ve put together an International Women’s Day playlist, full of classics to belt out on your next road trip. We hope you enjoy blasting it as much as we enjoyed making it.