Misogynists Among Motorists
Private Fleet are in the midst of undertaking a Consumer Attitudes Survey.
It is early days yet, but we’ve already uncovered some fascinating facts and opinions.
Misogynists Among Motorists
One question asked respondents a fairly open opinion on their likes and dislikes. Nearly 80 percent of our respondents so far are male (so ladies, we want your entries too), but of these, nearly twenty percent listed female motorists as their major dislike!
Of particular dislike is the young female P plater.
All comments are given anonymously yet there is a clear trend evident with comments such as
“ Young female drivers seem to drive too fast”
Or
“Young women speed to excess, with scant regard for others”
Or
“Young female drivers, often on P plates tend to be the worst (most aggressive, risk taking, impatient).”
But young females are not the only target of female criticism. Curiously more than one respondent had noted ‘Asian women driving Volvos” as their pet hate.
So does this mean that the Australian motorist is not just a women hater but racist, too? Well, we hope not as it’s early days, and we need a significant sample to confirm these early suspicions, but we’ll keep you posted.
So what other major concerns have been noted to date?
Keeping Left.
A regular criticism is of those drivers who habitually ignore the ‘Keep Left’ signs, hogging the right hand lanes or even the centre lanes of motorways when the inner lanes are vacant, particularly when driving at less than the legal limit.
A typical comment is:-
“Drivers in Australia are a disgrace, including the trucking industry. In Europe and UK the driving is orderly, trucks STAY in the inside lane except when overtaking, then return to the inside lane and you never see them on the outside lane. Cars only overtake on the outside (never on the inside) and do not hog the outside lane. In fact if they see a car approaching in the rear view mirror they move over straight away “
Tailgating
Another frequent comment and criticism is the way cars keep too close to the car in front of them, particularly when being driven by young people.
“ I hate tailgaters” is a common sentiment among respondents.
Other dishonourable mentions go to excess speed, too many speed restrictions/road signs, impatient drivers, elderly drivers and more.
As we said, it’s early days for the survey, which covers other factors, too. So if you haven’t yet completed the survey, why don’t you do so now?
It will only take a minute or two (average completion time is 1m 20 secs), and it will be a valuable contribution towards understanding driver sentiments and motivations.
Level 2, 9 Help Street
Rich says:
I really hate tailgaters…They push you hard to over-speed….
October 15th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Ryan says:
Young people are teh worst drivers. They are irresponsible and should be hit with very tough penalties for speeding. its young males who are generally the problem.
Next on the list are the over 70’s. Slow reflexes cause these drivers to be very dangerous on the roads. They should be tested every 6 months and licence taken away if they fail the test.
October 18th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Vicki says:
I agree with the comments on young female drivers – they”ll run over you if you don’t get out of their way! Obviously this doesn’t apply to EVERY young female driver, but it’s an observation. I ‘m a woman, so I’m not a misogynist
I’m not a racist either. Both words are overused to describe people just for having an opinion.
October 18th, 2012 at 11:16 am
Bernhard says:
I have always wanted to have a polite little sign that flashes in my back window to motorists who hog the centre lanes “Please consider other faster road users and keep to the left unless actually overtaking. It is not you job to slow the traffic”, or simply a flashing sign “KEEP LEFT” plus a few choice expletives but that would likely shorten my life expectancy considerably.
October 18th, 2012 at 11:35 am
Harry says:
Have you considered the possibility that Australian drivers responding to your survey are neither misogynist or racist?
The truth is often unpalatable.
October 18th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Wil says:
Trucks and slow drivers will continue to hog the fast lane unless the Police book them. Trucks seem to do it because they don’t care and the slow slow car drivers because they don’t know what they’re doing. Throw the book at them and they’ll soon change their behaviour.
October 18th, 2012 at 11:54 am
John says:
Female P Platers aren’t any worse than males but I have noticed that many are becoming as aggressive and inconsiderate as some of their male counterparts. You should drive to assist other drivers and anticipate their moves. That is the skill in urban driving. I think for cultural reasons some people do drive differently and this may be reflected in indecision, but hey, travelling by car is faster than by horse and carriage, so just enjoy the ride!
October 18th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
alan says:
I drive on average 1500km per week.
I have observed that there seems to be a disproportionately higher representation of:
1) Young Female Drivers (driving with reduced levels of care and consideration and safety to other road users)
2) Young Male drivers (driving wrecklessly and over speed with reduced levels of consideration and safety to other road users)
3) B Double Drivers (driving over speed, not checking blind spots before changing lanes, tail gating… imposing significant reductions in road safety to other road users)
4) Older Male and Female Drivers (Driving under speed in the right hand lanes)
What is wrong with being BEHAVIOURLY PREJUDICED…
October 18th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Rog says:
Dear Private Fleet
Misogynist – A woman-hater. Please explain what evidence there is of misogyny as opposed to sexism.
For years we saw stats that proved more young men were caught for a wide range of traffic offenses; Was saying they were most at risk sexist? Or was it factual and explainable.You be the judge. Are more young women being booked for speeding? if not the claim may be sexist.
sexism – The assumption that one sex is superior to the other and the resultant discrimination practised against members of the supposed inferior sex, esp. by men against women; also conformity with the traditional stereotyping of social roles on the basis of sex.
October 18th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Betty Breen says:
At 6 a m I was driving a Lexus 450H on a country road behind three 4x 4 utes all traveling at 60 kph in a 100 kph zone. I thought they were farmers and would probably turn off down one of the dirt roads. Eventually the middle vehicle turned right and the two other vehicles maintained the same speed. I decided to overtake the vehicles on the straight road and now the limit was 80 kph. I had plenty of time and no need to exceed the limit. However, as I got level with the forward driver, he looked across at me and speeded up. I accelerated, he accelerated. Suddenly I saw a car on the rise of a hill traveling in the opposite direction. I kicked the accelerator and drove past the ute at 120 kph. The oncoming car was a police vehicle and I pulled over. I was charged with exceeding the speed limit.
I am female and have been driving for many years. I have lost count of the number of times males race me at traffic lights, tailgate to make me overtake quicker, get the hump if iI overtake them and generally transform into macho men who behave recklessly and alarmingly. Maybe it is the car which creates provocation.
October 18th, 2012 at 3:27 pm
PJ says:
I think you should all chill out! What an out pouring of righteous self importance! Be a little tolerant and love thy neighbor: you all were young and foolish once, as you will all be older and slower, hopefully wiser too!
October 18th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Phil Ebbott says:
You know the funny thing? Half the repondents hate tail gaters, the other half hate people who don’t keep left.
I’ll Let you work it out.
October 19th, 2012 at 9:51 am
Judy says:
I suggest that “Richard” is out of his depth in reporting survey results re racism and sexism in this way. The heading “Misogynists and Motorists” might be an attempt to make light of two issues many of us regard as serious matters. It won’t serve Honda well if they appoint themselves as social analysts engaging in X% of Honda drivers dislike women, Asians, young people, old people…..whomever. It’s fair enough to dislike certain driving behaviours. For Honda to highlight that some of their customers go a step further and attribute the behaviours to gender and race is odd. It simply promotes that some Honda customers are racist and sexist. As a Honda driver, that’s not the image I want. It’s also irresponsible to promote or legitamise racism or sexism by making light of it, or indicating that significant % of people hold those views. I am mystified by what Honda might be trying to achieve with this type of survey reporting. Exactly what does it contribute to road safety? Nothing, I suspect. However, it might increase the risk of certain groups of people (pity help the young or older Asian women) being subjected to road rage, as Honda have stated that X% of their customers dislike these drivers. Honda might take notice of the way the RACV, NRMA etc conduct, report and follow up on driver surveys. It should be about trying to make a positive difference. As a Honda customer, I’m surprised that Honda would enter the arena of social analysis and commentary. On the basis of the what I’m seeing, it doesn’t look like a very smart move.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:15 am
David says:
@Phil Ebbott – good point!!
@Rog – actually Macquarie dictionary have just altered the definition to include “entrenched prejudice against women” So it does fit pretty well in this situation.
@Bernhard – yes it’s our pet hate too. See this post from a while ago http://blog.privatefleet.com.au/home/keep-left-unless-overtaking/
October 19th, 2012 at 4:17 pm