Wheel power

Anybody who happens to hear men discussing a simple four-wheeled locomotive ? horsepower, speed, pick-up, engine power, etc. ? can easily mistake them to be deciding on the future of the next Nasa mission.

Anybody who happens to hear men discussing a simple four-wheeled locomotive — horsepower, speed, pick-up, engine power, etc. — can easily mistake them to be deciding on the future of the next Nasa mission. Naturally, this belittles the argument women hold that a car is just a practical means of transport.

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These two groups obviously have drawn the battlelines. Today, a woman driver is the most frequently encountered opponent of the male driver on the road. The reigning XYs reserve
a tremendous share of explosive criticisms for each of her small slips.

Most men who have issues with the lack of ‘drive’ in women drivers believe an inherent genetic advantage is bestowed upon them when it comes to ‘technical’ jobs.

So the question: is a man truly genetically empowered and thus better equipped to drive? With more and more women driving in our cities, this question assumes some relevance.

Margaret Mead, the noted American anthropologist, is not too sure. “Where knowledge of machinery is concerned, men have an advantage in any culture; girls are not expected to learn about machines or to enjoy tinkering,” she says.

According to a study conducted in the West, the simple fact is that while women may have proportionately more crashes than men, these are, on the whole, much less severe and women are, therefore, responsible for far fewer injuries and deaths than are male drivers. As a reflection of this fact, many auto insurance companies in Britain are now offering significant discounts to women drivers.

Perhaps it’s time for the Indian male to at least notice this in passing.