Of Interest to Women

Southland Times, Issue 24533, 6 September 1941, Page 5

Of Interest to Women

Competent Drivers Women have always been under the impression that men as a whole have a very low opinion of their capabilities as drivers of cars, and stories about, front-seat as well as back-seat drivers (women only, of course) are as common as tales of canny Aberdonians. With this in mind, a reporter of The Southland Times made a number oi inquiries, and collected the unbiased opinions of men who know the truth of the matter. It is interesting to know what the experts think on this subject, men who, through their work, come into contact with drivers of both sexes, and know what they are talking about. . . A search revealed that approximately one quarter of the holders of driving licences are women, and that the number is increasing steadily as cars become more common, and women realize that in this sphere at least, they are the equal of their husbands. No one should know better the idiosyncracies (if there are any) of women drivers than the traffic inspector, for he has many opportunities of studying drivers of all types. “Women have a greater respect for the law,” one of the inspectors said, “and they show this by their close observance of the traffic regulations. Minor offences do occur, but they are proportionately small in number. Very few women are prosecuted, but this is not because the officers are more lenient than with men offenders. In the eyes of the law men and women are, treated equally. On the whole women take fewer driving risks, and are more careful. HIGH STANDARD REQUIRED “Commercial driving requires a high standard, and the fact that in emergency times women are showing themselves capable of taking on this type of work is proof that they take their driving seriously, and are as reliable as men. “It is interesting to note that an Invercargill firm has recently employed a woman driver for bread deliveries, that women are driving dairy vans, and that there has been for some years a woman taxi driver in Southland. One of the bus services from Oamaru to Invercargill was driven by a woman, who was later employed as a service car driver.”

The officer said that in his opinion more and more women would be used in future on commercial cars, adapting themselves to this work as efficiently as they did to driving lorries and ambulances in England and France during the last war.

The number of girls and women who have joined the transport section of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary gives some indication of the interest women can take in things mechanical, and their instructors report that the keenness and enthusiasm of the pupils, plus an aptitude for the work, are rapidly making them proficient mechanics.

In search of information, the Automobile Association office was visited, and a number of facts collected. Approximately one-eighth of the members are women. Calls on the association for help are not more frequent from women than from men. An interesting fact is that more than one quarter of the owners who have placed their cars and themselves at the service of the Emergency Precautions Scheme organization are women, and when it is considered that many women drivers are not actually owners of cars, this says much for their patriotism and willingness to help. MECHANICAL INTEREST Inquiries at one of the bigger garages showed that although most women are content to remain in ignorance of what makes a car go, those who are at all mechanically minded are intensely interested the inside workings, and are not satisfied until they know more than the average man will learn in a lifetime of driving. Nearly all women drivers can change a tyre, though the inside of the bonnet may remain a mystery. Because of this vagueness about the engine, women are more prone to take their cars to the garage for minor adjustments, where a man with a little mechanical knowledge will attack the problem and possibly make matters worse. This garage has noted an increase in the number of women drivers in the past few years, particularly since the war, and has more applications for tuition than ever before. The younger women prefer small cars, but a surprising number are handling big sedans with confidence and success.

Instead of selling or storing cars while soldier husbands are overseas, wives are .using the cars, and adding to the increasing number of women drivers. Women are also more careful of the appearance of their cars, and take a housewifely pride in keeping the polish bright and the upholstery in good order. The opinion was expressed that the average woman driver is the equal of the average man, and that an unbiased male passenger feels quite confident with a woman at the wheel. From another quarter, however, came the remark that not many women accustomed to driving themselves are quite at ease in a car driven by anyone else. Perhaps this is how the tales of women as back seat drivers originated. RARELY IN ACCIDENTS The manager of a firm dealing in motor insurance could remember few accidents in which women drivers have been involved, and thought that this might be due to the fact that women seldom drive at excessive speeds or at a dangerously slow pace, both factors in many road accidents. He pointed out, though, that when an accident did occur, women were less competent to describe the circumstances than men, and could not always remember clearly what had happened. The danger period for all drivers is one year after learning to drive, when the beginner has confidence, but not enough experience. Out of the cases which have been dealt with in the past few weeks not one woman was concerned. This was also borne out by inquiries made at the courthouse, which elicited the fact that a major case involving a woman is so rare as to be almost unknown. Minor offences are not quite so rare, but they are few and far between. These statements all show that men who have any dealings with women drivers have a surprisingly high opinion of their capabilities. No inquiries, however, were made about what women think of other women as drivers.