Two authors of this study posed a question that is open to 599 teenagers and junior high school students (303 boys and 296 girls) aged 10 to 16 on the characteristics they spontaneously associate with drivers. Divided into two level and mixed groups, the first group was asked to write down sentences and expressions they regularly hear and what they imagine about women driving. The second answers the same question about men. It turns out that the male driver is rated as “good, skillful, involved”. in activities that meet social expectations while being unwary and violation of traffic rules.

Men are perceived as better drivers

Regarding female drivers, the results show that they are perceived as ” careful, following the rules and few accidents”, but also “less active, more hesitant and with less driving skills”. Boys attribute less negative characteristics to male drivers than do girls, but girls do not attribute fewer negative characteristics to female drivers than do boys. In addition, girls perceive female drivers as cautious more than boys. Finally, gender stereotypes associated with female drivers increase with age, whereas stereotypes associated with male drivers do not appear to change during adolescence.

Women are less dangerous to drive

However, this perception is completely contradicted by accident data. According to the figures given in the study, men account for 70 to 80% of road traffic deaths among people aged 15-59 in France. And in Western countries, there are generally male drivers 2-3 times more likely to die in a road accident than women. For what ? Because “men show a lower level of normative motivation to comply with traffic laws.” It just goes to show that some clichés are harsh and completely wrong…

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