Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus is a book by John Gray exploring the fundamental differences between men and women. The debate about which sex is more capable is an argument that has raged since Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden. Men and women have traditionally settled into specific gender roles for their occupations. The inception of the modern automobile and changing gender roles over the decades has yielded rise to the very valid and sometimes comical question; Who is a better driver? Men or women?

The automotive industry has been dominated by testosterone ever since the first automobile rolled off the assembly line. Truck driving, race cars, auto repair, delivery services etc . . . were generally accepted as a male careers due to the physical demands of the job. This is probably why the driving debate has always leaned to favor the guys as the better driver. Changes in automotive technology over the decades has made the industry less physically demanding and more mentally challenging. We start to see a kinder gentler industry which began to attract more women into the field. Now, women are literally employed in every automotive field and competing fiercely with men.

So, are women better drivers? In a study released by Quality Planning, an analytics company that validates insurance company policyholder information, women are the safer divers. The study analyzed different kinds of driving violations and then compared how many times men were cited versus women. The conclusion was that men break more traffic laws and drive more dangerously than women. Because they violate laws designed to make the roads safer, men cause more accidents and expensive damage. According to the study, the ratio of men violators compared to female are 3 to 1 for infractions such as reckless driving, DUI and seatbelt violations. It’s hard for anyone to argue against those statistics. However, the stats don’t necessarily point to women as better drivers, just safer. Women have just as many accidents as men; they tend to be minor fender-benders. Men, on the other hand, tend to do the job properly when they crash.

Are women better drivers? Men are still the majority of the drivers which would certainly skew the results of the study. It seems the answer to the battle of the sexes will continue to be fought another day.