Are women better drivers than men?

Meadows, Michelle L; Stradling, Stephen G

Abstract

Are women better drivers than men? As applied social psychologists working in the area of driver behaviour this is a question we often get asked. How should we go about answering it? What - at first sight - appears a straightforward question turns out to require a range of different research tools (Meadows & Stradling, 1995). These include:
• analyses of accident statistics
• questionnaire/survey studies of drivers
• performance studies using driving simulators, instrumented vehicles, videotaped driving behaviour or on-road observation
• statistical procedures for summarising data, and exploring interactions between different variables
• deriving models for organising concepts and findings and subsequently suggesting directions for future research.
In this chapter we shall present information derived from using a number of these tools, mostly analyses of data from accident statistics, surveys and questionnaires, and conclude with a summary model of factors influencing the behaviour of drivers.

Citation

Meadows, M. L., & Stradling, S. G. (2000). Are women better drivers than men?. In J. Hartley, & A. Branthwaite (Eds.), The Applied Psychologist (126-146). Buckingham: Open University Press

• Publication Date: 2000
• Deposit Date: Jan 8, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 8, 2010
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 126-146
• Book Title: The Applied Psychologist
• ISBN: 978-0335202843
• Keywords: women drivers; driver behaviour; accident statistics; competence
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/3593
• Contract Date: Jan 8, 2010