Women Drivers: The Theory versus The Truth

Now I am the first one to condemn anyone who pokes fun at women drivers. The feminist in me would never allow somebody to put half the population in a box labelled 'bad drivers'. I would rather stick needles in my eye than betray my fellow women. However, a few encounters have lately forced me to view things a little differently.

The first encounter, much to my embarrassment, occurred when I was attempting to park my car between a BMW and a Mazda. The space was tight, and my skills admittedly were limited. I managed to somehow wheedle my tiny car into such a position that I couldn't move backwards or forwards without severely damaging either car. After around 15 minutes, I decided to face the facts. I was stuck. I began to panic, and glanced around hoping the drivers who had stopped around me would be sympathetic enough to allow me a little more time (although, for what I had no idea). And then he, who can only be described as a gentleman caught my eye and mouthed, 'shall I park that for you?' I nodded so quickly, I only hope it didn't look too pathetic. Around two minutes later my car was perfectly parked.

Desperately grateful, the damsel in me gathered the only words I could think of in gratitude: 'thank you, you're a lifesaver, thank you so much!' He simply shrugged off my admiration, as if he had only done what any person would have done in that situation (which of course was entirely untrue as we were surrounded by many drivers who either chose to ignore me or become more frustrated at the wheel.) I, however, felt like he had just given me his last rolo.

He was gone as quickly as he appeared, and I watched him zoom away in his black sports car. Now I am the last woman on this earth to wait for a knight to come to my rescue. If I'd have lived in the sixties, I feel sure I would've been involved in bra burning to promote women's rights. But I feel that situation forced me to accept that driving might be just a 'man thing.' Otherwise I'd probably still be sat in that car park.

Maybe there is a reason why there are no successful Formula One women drivers. Maybe there is a reason why there are no women presenters on Top Gear. And there is also a reason why the theory of women being exceptionally bad drivers exists. Yes, I'm afraid it might be true: men are (on the whole) the better drivers. In the world of motoring, women should take the back seat. And I've come to accept this fact...gradually. After all, women do own the world of cooking, cleaning, ironing and oh so much more. So maybe we can afford to give it to the men just this once.