And Yet She Drives - Society

Perhaps, psychologists have been trying to figure out the phenomenon of "woman driving" since the time when Bertha Benz in 1888 made a 100-kilometer journey on the brainchild of her husband, the first Motorwagen. By the way, she committed this truly heroic act without the knowledge of her husband, because she was afraid of his anger.

There are many myths, assumptions and facts about how and why a woman drives a car. It is believed (by men, of course) that women are more insecure, more careful, make decisions more slowly and are more unpredictable at the same time. You can often hear from motorists: "I don't understand what she is doing!" Men immediately recall the notorious "female logic", "topographic cretinism" and other epithets that characterize behavior that is beyond their understanding.

However, women drive cars, and sometimes quite successfully. Nevertheless, there are a number of factors that really affect a woman's driving style and allow men to come up with more and more anecdotes about blondes driving.

CONTRACTING NATURE

In order to determine why a woman drives herself in this way and not otherwise, it is worth remembering some of the features of female nature.

First, female and male vision function differently. Historically, it turned out that the man hunted, and the woman had to guard the hearth and raise offspring. That is why women have well-developed peripheral vision, she perfectly sees the nuances and details, which for thousands of years allowed her to follow the offspring and catch the approaching danger. Women are able to clearly see a sector of at least 45 degrees on each side of the head, that is, right-left, as well as up and down. The effective peripheral vision of many women reaches the full 180 degrees.

In men, tunnel vision predominates, they can perfectly estimate the distance to the target, which always allowed them to successfully hunt. That is why women are often distracted when driving a car by what is happening around them - they see literally everything that happens not only on the road, but also on the sidewalk! One of the common fears of aspiring female motorists is the fear of the cars around her. "Don't look at them, they don't touch you, look ahead to the road!" - the husband is indignant, not realizing that, in order to develop a habit of tunnel vision, a woman needs time.

Moreover, men in general are better oriented in space and remember the route due to their better developed frontal part of the right hemisphere of the brain.

Good orientation in space and the ability to estimate the distance to the target makes parking much easier for men. As you know, many of them can “endlessly watch a woman park”. At the same time, statistics show that a female driver is less likely than men to have accidents associated with a side impact on road junctions, since clearer peripheral vision allows her to notice an approaching car from the side in time. However, there is a high probability that a woman will hit an obstacle with a car when parallel parking, since she has a poorly developed sense of space.

In addition, many women experience some kind of night blindness: not being able to tell which side of the road is oncoming traffic at dusk. Men do it well.

So why is it that women, with a wide angle of view, still have accidents with the same frequency as men?

Psychologists have proven that the speed of decision-making in women is lower than in men, but the speed of unconscious reaction is higher - protective functions are triggered. Therefore, even if a woman is able to instinctively respond correctly in an extreme situation, in most cases she will not be allowed to do this by her own super-control. Because of the fear of doing something wrong, women are sometimes so tense that the brain simply cannot shut down and give way to instinct, while making a decision requires a certain amount of time, which is often simply not there.

In addition, a woman has a longer "logical step", so it is much more difficult for her to calculate the correct maneuver in a non-standard situation. And such situations may consist in the need for a quick change of lane, and in an unfamiliar route, and in a really dangerous emergency.

Women experience stress more acutely and react more emotionally than men. A violent emotional reaction, as a rule, disrupts the productivity of thinking, which leads to a state of "stupor", as a result of which there are jokes about women who, at the moment of a collision, throw the steering wheel and close their eyes. This is quite understandable, because the female nature, which predetermined the role of the keeper of the hearth for a woman, provided for her such a type of reaction as "run away and hide", which allowed a woman who did not have great physical strength to save not only herself, but also her offspring. Male hunters, on the contrary, survived due to the fact that in a situation of danger they blocked emotions and began to actively fight, took risks.

FORGED UNCONSCIOUS

From generation to generation, genetic information about the role of women in society has been transmitted and accumulated. A woman is a keeper, the preservation of the clan, the health of the family depends on her, accordingly, she must be careful, attentive, avoid risk. In addition, the woman must take care of the main member of the family - the food provider. Accordingly, she must be law-abiding and submissive. A woman cannot be a leader, otherwise she takes on male functions. She cannot rule, fight, compete openly, participate in competitions.

Yes, modernity has long destroyed these stereotypes, and women in society are on an equal footing with men.

The overwhelming majority of men, no matter how loyally they speak out to women drivers, feel protest when they see a lady behind the wheel. The woman who rules - this fact gives rise to a sense of cognitive dissonance in most men - this cannot be, but it is! In order to balance the information stored in the unconscious with reality, a man questions a woman's ability to control and initially treats her with distrust, condescension, and contempt.

But this feeling of inadequacy is not only common in men, but also in women who start driving. A woman in her traditional role is more likely to be controlled than to drive, therefore, for a long time she cannot learn to “feel” the car, but most importantly, she does not immediately feel that she herself is “controlling” the mechanism. Such a mismatch leads both to emergency situations and to a banal lack of confidence in one's abilities. Most women have such strong unconscious stereotypes about the impossibility of driving anything that even after they have been driving successfully for a long time and suddenly make one wrong maneuver, you can hear the same phrase: "I will never succeed!"

MEN AS A FACTOR

At first, most of the women's complexes regarding driving a car are nurtured by the very same male drivers. Typically, the driver's husband or boyfriend is the first to enter the game. He sits next to him, gives valuable instructions, mercilessly scolds for every hole that has fallen under the wheel, demands unquestioning obedience and does not allow anyone to do anything on their own. "Straight ahead … change lane … faster!.. At the traffic lights to the left … slow down!" In fact, there is no way for a woman to learn to drive a car. Wherever there, to have time to carry out the commands. Conclusion - the sooner you leave your husband at home and start driving on your own, no matter how scary you are, the sooner you will learn to drive.

A man is afraid to give a woman his car! A car means much more to him than sometimes the woman herself, so giving your "girl" (meaning a "tin can") to be torn apart is like a knife to the heart. If a man jealously guards his car, offer him to buy you a personal car, otherwise your driving trips will be limited to rare happy minutes of delivering your companion's mortal drunken body from his friend's house to your apartment.

Men on the road do not behave like gentlemen. They honk, cut, scold women drivers through the ajar windows, creating additional stress for the latter. A woman who already feels insecure on male territory gets scared, gets completely confused and behaves even more inadequately, thereby confirming the opinion of men about “women driving”. The male "self-fulfilling prophecy" is triggered. There is only one advice - to survive this male weakness. They are also characterized by non-observance of the lane, inept parking, abrupt rearrangements. But for most drivers, those who make mistakes are identified in advance as women. If the assumption is confirmed - the joy of recognition ("What is there to want - a woman behind the wheel!"), And if not - no comments should be made. As a rule, successful motorists are not noticed.

DRIVING SHE

Despite all the obvious difficulties, every day more and more women start driving. In the modern world, a car can solve many problems, including those related to childcare, and save time, so women, having appreciated such an accessory as a car, still tame it.

In addition, the woman behind the wheel has always seemed different from everyone else - bold, confident, independent, daring, sexy. This stereotype is still alive. Every woman wants to be admired.

There are different classifications of women drivers, but practice shows that women who constantly drive a car go through certain stages in their driving style, some faster, some slower, which in most cases depends on the type of temperament and level of intelligence. It happens that a woman is really "stuck" at one of the stages forever. Well, then this is her "ceiling".

Snail

Less than a month experience.

Each time she cautiously crawls out from around the corner, scanning the space around her and at the first real or imaginary danger slows down and shrinks inside the cabin, as if demonstrating to herself and others: "I'm in the house!" The Snail Woman observes absolutely all the rules of the road, if she sees a sign "forty", then she will go thirty. Most of all, the Snail is afraid of the so-called "stick insect" - the traffic police inspector. At the same time, the most difficult task for her is to stop at the stick insect directly, and not after 5 kilometers.

In fact, the Snail is the most feminine driving style prepared for ladies by nature. Snails are driven carefully, attentively, their instinct for self-preservation is heightened. They are law abiding, drive slowly and carefully. Believe me, this has its undeniable advantages.

However, alas, in order to survive in the originally male world, a woman has to retrain, adapt and - gradually turn into a man behind the wheel. Therefore, the second stage follows …

Caterpillar

It usually lasts up to six months.

This is the stage when men can only shrug their shoulders, not understanding what a woman is doing while driving a car. The caterpillar does not move much faster than the snail, but it does so more sharply. She crawls recklessly, not making out whether the left extreme is a lane or roadside. The main thing for her is convenience. If it is convenient for her to crawl along the dividing strip, she will crawl there, not paying attention to anyone. She becomes indifferent to the opinions of others, so she does not need to hide in the house. In addition, the Caterpillar begins to think about how it looks at the wheel, and sometimes the thought of the brightness of its own color and what impression it makes on others occupies it much more than any insects that come across it on its way. when she abruptly decides to rebuild. Crazy caterpillar throws terrify and confuse others. They honk her, twist a finger at her temple, to which the Caterpillar sometimes looks around in complete bewilderment, saying, "Who is here?"

By and large, this is the stage when such psychological defenses as denial and regression are maximally included. The woman, as it were, excludes from her field of vision any information that could distract her and damage her self-esteem. She begins to be afraid to look stupid and unattractive while driving, as a result of which caution decreases and the instinct of self-preservation is dulled, giving way to the preservation of self-esteem, which is rather a masculine quality close to competition.

Wasp

Lasts on average about a year.

An insect that sometimes does more harm than good. Wasps drive a car quite aggressively, often for no reason. They try to demonstrate to others driving "on the brink", often lose the instinct of self-preservation, begin to cut, overtake, try to demonstrate their superiority. Oddly enough, Snails suffer the most from Wasps. It seems that women with great driving experience seem to be taking revenge on those who remind them of their previous failure.

Most of the accidents committed by women are the fault of these representatives. By the way, if a woman is married and has children, the Wasp stage does not last long and passes more smoothly - the maternal instinct is triggered. Young unmarried girls live this stage, so to speak, to the fullest.

Women who became Wasps exhibit more risky behaviors than men. Striving to compete with them on the road, they forget that they are naturally deprived of some qualities, such as the ability to quickly make decisions in a non-standard setting and good spatial orientation. You can learn a lot, but you cannot completely change your nature.

Bee

This is a truly wise and calm insect that lives according to established laws, tries not to harm either itself or others, acts measuredly and professionally, knows where and why it flies. Over time, any woman is able to gain experience in driving a car, knowledge and wisdom in life, if she had a desire to do so. The main thing is to understand your mistakes in time, to admit that the desire to "reckless" is ambition and a stupid desire to prove to others (both men and women) that she is no worse behind the wheel than others. Recognize that she is more afraid of the fear of driving than the fact of driving. Remember that all traffic rules are written in blood and if you follow them, there will be practically no chances of getting into an accident. Remember that the same living people are sitting in iron boxes on the road,who are able to understand the mistakes of others. Ignore those who behave aggressively - these are people who are not able to cope with their feelings, they will not cause real harm, they only show a fighting color.

Remember that any Snail can sooner or later turn into a Bee, you just need time and desire.

BEAUTY DEMANDS VICTIMS

Often women out of the blue create problems for themselves on the road. As a rule, all these problems are associated with a purely female desire to please others. As a result, women make mistakes that lead to emergencies. Here are the most common ones.

1. The most anecdotal - women use rear-view mirrors for cosmetic purposes. It's better to never do this, otherwise there is a risk that at some point a pimple on the chin will attract a woman's attention much more than a pedestrian throwing himself under the wheels.

2. Confidence that men who see a woman driving appreciate her appearance. Nothing like this. Most men are only interested in the very fact of a woman in the driver's seat as a potential danger, and nothing more. Therefore, there is no need, having seen the intent male gaze from a nearby car, to correct the hairstyle, it is more useful at this moment to remember that it is necessary to turn on the turn in time when changing lanes.

3. Sit on a diet while driving. In a hungry state, a person's blood sugar decreases, which slows down the speed of reaction and the speed of thinking. As soon as the stomach asserts its rights, we lose our good mood and sense of self-control. The caffeine content also increases the stress and excitement of the driver.

4. Nice but uncomfortable clothes. The car primarily needs to be driven. Therefore, if you decide to drive a car, you need to find a compromise between convenience and beauty. Long and narrow skirts, high heels, tight suits, lush hair - all this constrains movement and distracts from control.

5. It is also common for women to replay their worries and troubles in their heads. Therefore, getting hung up on experiences, the lady behind the wheel is disconnected from the traffic control. Getting behind the wheel, you need to remember that the only problem at the moment is the need to get to your destination, and not a plan of hostilities with your mother-in-law.

EXPERT OPINION

Elena Forafontova,

and. about. Chairman of the Rally Committee of the Motorsport Federation of the Moscow Region, sports judge of the BS category, organizer of amateur rallies,

there are NO “MEN” AND “WOMEN” ON THE ROAD

From the point of view of the law, there are no “advantages of weakness”: either there is a violation or it is not. And, in my opinion, it cannot be otherwise. It is naive to think that by "making eyes" or repainting, you will be able to get out of an emergency. Here experience, reaction, composure, knowledge of how your car behaves at a particular speed, on a particular surface is more important. This can and should be learned in extreme driving centers, not while driving on the streets.

Indeed, female peripheral vision is better developed than that of men, and this is one of the reasons why “female” accidents are less severe than “male” ones. But if you look at the signs out of the corner of your eye, and not follow the traffic situation, then the consequences will be unpredictable.

And the call to “get out” of the “hair color” situation is dangerous, in my opinion, even if we consider it as a joke. Because it subconsciously assumes that it is not the maneuver of the car that will be evaluated, but the appearance and gender. This is a fundamentally wrong thesis. There are no "men" and "women" on the road. There are “drivers”. Perhaps motorsport is better than glossy magazines in providing insight into this thesis. After all, there is only one definition - "driver". There are far fewer women than men in motorsport, mainly because it requires more aggressive driving. But those ladies who have at least once passed the track of the competition at the wheel will not identify themselves with the blonde.

EXPERT OPINION

Elena Larina,

Head of Public Relations, Taganrog Automobile Plant

ADVANTAGE IN WEAKNESS

The protracted sexist controversy has managed to set the teeth on edge. But I think that this topic will soon exhaust itself. Modern car manufacturers are increasingly focusing on the convenience and safety of drivers and others. Of course, in no way does this mean that you just have to get behind the wheel and relax. Any driver first of all needs to understand his degree of responsibility in the traffic flow, at least for the lives of others.

In Austria, Spain, France, England and Italy, rates for car insurance programs directly depend on the gender of the insured. Russian insurance companies refuse to give discounts to the weaker sex, arguing with their own emergency statistics: in Russia, accidents occur more often with female drivers (frequency 96.35%) than with male drivers (frequency 70.75%).

Life story. My colleague and I were late for an important business meeting in the city center. Traffic jams, female peripheral vision became the cause of traffic violations. We did not notice the traffic police inspector. Of course, he moved forward, wanting to punish what he deserved. A colleague, not bewildered, opened the tinted glass and began to wave a long blond strand to the inspector in greeting, as if demonstrating: "What to take from us - blondes!" The formidable law enforcement officer suddenly nodded his head, as if he recognized his acquaintances, smiled happily, waved his hand - “Go!”. Not only did I stay with my driving license and was not even fined, but I was on time at the meeting, having avoided the traffic jam.