Why Men Are Better Drivers Than Women?

Among the many differences between men and women is the notion of their respective driving ability. Quite a few videos have gone viral, showing limitations of women’s driving abilities. Things like reversing, parallel parking, pressing accelerator instead of break, negotiating tight spaces, etc. is where most of these videos are focused on. Many people may have also experienced these scenarios in their real life. These experiences have formed the general perception that men are naturally better drivers, whereas women usually falter when negotiating tough situations.

But is it really true that men are better drivers than women? To answer the question, here are some important things to understand.

Testosterone

This hormone is a key contributor to a man’s abilities, temperament and behavior. While it’s often associated with things like vigor and vitality, it performs a lot more functions in the human body. In terms of driving, testosterone ensures strong visual processing abilities. This allows male drivers to interpret road conditions much faster. In a test, older men injected with testosterone were found to have increased visual processing speed.

Another area where testosterone is helpful is spatial awareness. This is the ability to establish a connect between yourself and the objects around you. People who have excelled in the field of sports, science, math and arts usually have enhanced spatial awareness. Spatial awareness also applies to driving, as one needs to understand what is going on around the vehicle.

While testosterone has advantages, it also has some drawbacks. For example, testosterone can make you feel overconfident and prompt risky behavior. This is likely to cause accidents or incidents of road rage. Young people are often involved in accidents, which could be linked to their high testosterone levels.

Estrogen

This is one of the main differentiating hormones for women. It too can improve driving abilities, but it works differently than testosterone. Estrogen can boost concentration, which can be useful while driving. Estrogen is also linked with enhanced memory, which can be helpful while driving. Another benefit of estrogen is that it makes an individual empathetic and compassionate. This can be useful while driving, as women are less likely to indulge in risky behavior. They are more likely to follow traffic rules, which will keep them and others safe.

Brain wiring

It is common knowledge that brain structure of men and women is different. Men have better ability to create mental maps of the city or area they are driving. This allows them to reach their destination without getting lost. In comparison, women rely more on landmarks and other physical attributes of the route to find their way. Both of these abilities can be useful or disadvantageous based on the situation.

As is evident from above factors, both men and women can be good drivers. The only difference is that they use different tools and approaches to achieve that goal. Due to their brain wiring, woman may face issues in specific situations such as reversing and parallel parking. On the other hand, men may lose control due to their risk-taking testosterone hormone. If people follow rules properly, we believe both men and women can be equally good on the roads.