Car parking: which gender really is the best?
by ADAM SINGLETON
Supposedly a simple task, parking a car can turn into an unprecedented nightmare. Whilst men fiercely defend claims they are better, women are fighting their corner with assertions that they are the more skillful.
Debates about which sex has the advantage over driving have raged throughout the automobile's history. Many studies, hoping to conclusively end the 'men versus women' argument, have carried out research into who is, in reality, more competent at driving. However, instead of yielding straightforward results, conflicting findings have simply added fuel to the argument's fire.
One recent study conducted by psychologists at Queen Mary University of London, suggested that women are more likely to be the worst drivers compared to heterosexual men, since they performed less competently in tasks involving navigation and spatial awareness.
It has also been argued that men have much faster reaction times than women - hence the male domination in motor racing - and are more able to deal with situations through having quicker decision making processes. Although a highly contested statement, this, alongside the Queen Mary University of London research, indicates that men may well be better at parking cars.
An interview with a former race track manager, who oversaw men and women competing as sports car test drivers, stated it was actually women who were the better drivers. He attributed this to the fact that women tended to be more receptive to instruction and drove more calmly, whilst their male counterparts simply wanted to race their cars.
Concurring with this is telephone research carried out in the US, whereby 55 per cent of men admitted to drink driving, compared to just 30 per cent of women. Eighty four per cent of men also admitted to having crashed their vehicle, as opposed to 77 per cent of women.
Statistics have additionally found that more males are fatally wounded in car crashes, usually because they engage in more dangerous driving. Women, on the other hand, tend to have more accidents involving stationery objects, which would again support the theory that men have better parking skills. Nevertheless, both sexes agree, according to one study, that men display more aggressive characteristics when driving.
The car insurance industry can be a good indicator of who is more competent. According to data, men drive more miles per year on average than women, and therefore have a higher accident involvement rate. It could be argued then, that men are more prone to accidents, and therefore, worse drivers.
Regardless of who is the better or worse driver, and the more or less competent car parker - and research to date has been inconclusive - owning a car comes with a mandatory requirement to purchase insurance. The current marketplace is packed with companies offering a diverse range of insurance deals, and with the rise in online car insurance, it is increasingly easy to obtain the most appropriate package, depending on your age and previous track record.
Adam Singleton writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.
