Merging Sexes
‘NEWS that men see cars as a boost to their self esteem comes as no revelation to the boy racer in the hot hatch nor the middle aged divorcee in the sports car.
Neither is it a shock to learn that women drive with greater caution and more sense than men. Women worry more about accidents; men are more likely to have them.
So far, so very predictable. But when we tell you that such statements are based on scientific research you prick up your ears. Science, eh. Thats the clever stuff. Boffins in lab coats and so forth. Best pay attention. Might learn something.
And you might. Dr Orit Taubman-Ben-Ari at the School of Social Work at Ben-Illan University, Israel, has found the formerly stated points to be true.
And that is not all. The Drs seminal work, Transportation Research, also notes that the differences between how men and women behave when behind the wheel are less pronounced when the men and women live together.
Men who are anxious drivers have wives who drive in a similar fashion. Reckless men have a tendency to be married to reckless women. Aggressive men go with aggressive women. One feeds off the other.
As the Dr concludes: Intimate partners may enhance and add to each others risk-taking tendencies. The presence of two risk taking parents might be a very bad example for either a child or a teenager in the same car.
That sounds bad. Although we must say that children are banned from driving on the public highway, aggressively, cautiously or in any manner whatsoever.
And teens are about as likely to pay attention to what their parents are doing as they are to come home on time by car, bike or roller skates…’
Posted: 22nd, February 2006 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
