# Men are all excellent drivers. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965 "2003-02-14T00:45:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/1 "2003-02-14T00:45:03Z")
Aren’t we though. 😉 This thread is aimed at men, but open to all. 🆒 Anyway, this come’s out of another of those break-room discussions. We’re all men, sitting around talking about all those idiots out there on the road, and not _one_ would admit to being anything less than perfect. Not one. Nine of us. There’s something going on here, huh? So here’s your chance to bare your souls, men who sometimes err “on the road”. Men who stupidly change lanes without looking, then glare at the driver who was already there, and skillfully avoided a crash with **you** , etc. Fess up. Are you a pretty lousy driver? Me, I’m pretty safe when driving fast, or in a neighborhood where there are people. But cruising down a city avenue, 40-50 mph, I can be pretty lax. Or even on the freeway in medium to light traffic I can kinda lose my concentrationn. So I have, once or twice, glared at that driver who skillfully avoided my dumb ass. And my car can go a lot faster than I’m capable of driving it. C’mon, take a deep breath and admit it. You’re not a pro. BTW; being accident free _does not_ qualify you as a good driver. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![zigaretten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@zigaretten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zigaretten)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/2 "2003-02-14T00:52:59Z")
Well…I’ve actually got some sort of problem. Whenever I get on a freeway I immediately start to pass out or fall asleep, it’s hard to describe (and yes, I live near you **mangeorge** ). Doctors don’t know why. Off the freeway I’m fine, but overall I’d say it makes my driving kind of “suspect.” ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/3 "2003-02-14T01:17:59Z")
Eek! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/4 "2003-02-14T01:28:06Z")
**zigaretten** , during the time I was actually paying attention in driver’s ed, my teacher told us that when driving on long expanses of road, driver hypnosis can set in, exacerbated by staring at the lines in the road. So try not to stare at the lines. I don’t know if this helps or not, but it is a suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![zigaretten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@zigaretten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zigaretten)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/5 "2003-02-14T01:57:38Z")
**Monica** …I appreciate the suggestion but this is something that sometimes starts on the on-ramp. And I’m quite used to it by now, which is to say I’m used to getting places without freeways. Heck, given the freeways in the Bay Area, half the time I get there _faster_. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/6 "2003-02-14T02:59:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zigaretten \* > \*\*Well…I’ve actually got some sort of problem. Whenever I get on a freeway I immediately start to pass out or fall asleep, it’s hard to describe (and yes, I live near you **mangeorge** ). Doctors don’t know why. Off the freeway I’m fine, but overall I’d say it makes my driving kind of “suspect.” \*\* Sleep apnea? Do you also fall asleep during boring meetings or at less than entertaining movies or while doing other seated activities that do not require a lot of engagement? If so, it could be sleep apnea which is terrible but very treatable. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/7 "2003-02-14T06:31:54Z")
Umm… I do not think [sleep apnea](http://www.sleepapnea.org/geninfo.html) means what you think it means. What **Lorenzo** ’s thinking of _might_ be [narcolepsy](http://www-med.stanford.edu/school/Psychiatry/narcolepsy/), yeah? Or have I been mightily whooshed? [sub]And the term I’ve always heard for the other is **Highway Hypnosis**.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Greensabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Greensabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greensabre)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/8 "2003-02-14T07:07:05Z")
Narcolepsy is a little more random than sleep apnea, but that is beside the point of the OP. I’m 18, and naturally, a horrible driver. I think my insurance is as high as the law will allow 😕 However, I maintain that men actually are better drivers. It may not be by much (I haven’t taken a national survey yet 😛 ) but I think it is true. One night confirmed these thoughts. Carpooling home from a church activity, we had three close calls… can you guess what the sex of the drivers were and what they were driving? The correct answers are: 1. Women 2. SUVs I, by no means, am saying that ALL WOMEN are bad drivers (but I think I’ll take flak for it… it always happens), but from many of the things I’ve experienced, women aren’t as good of drivers as men. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/9 "2003-02-14T07:44:30Z")
Pilots are some of the worst drivers especially after a long flight. (I’m a pilot. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/10 "2003-02-14T08:21:39Z")
A great quote, that I can’t recall where I heard (probably here at the SDMB): “Practically everybody thinks that they are an above average driver.” ---
**Author:** ![blinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@blinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinx)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/11 "2003-02-14T12:51:12Z")
I truely am a horrible driver, I tend to get confused in busy intersections, hesitate too much and get really nervous when I drive in large cities with complicated traffic situations. Luckely I live out on the country where those situations almost never are present. I don’t own a car so I don’t get much driving experience, which proberly doesn’t help much either. Btw. I’ve had my license for 3 years now and only trashed one car (due to ice on the road) - no human injuries. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/12 "2003-02-14T12:56:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Pilots are some of the worst drivers especially after a long flight. > > (I’m a pilot. 😃 ) A_hem!_ Any pilot will tell you he’s _better_ driver than a non-pilot. Didn’t you read _The Right Stuff_? 😃 (Yes, I’m a pilot; and I really _am_ a better driver than most of the “left-seat passengers” I see on the roads. 😛 ) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/13 "2003-02-14T15:33:02Z")
Well, flying is a _lot_ easier than driving. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/14 "2003-02-14T15:50:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > \*\*Umm… > > I do not think [sleep apnea](http://www.sleepapnea.org/geninfo.html) means what you think it means. > > What **Lorenzo** ’s thinking of _might_ be [narcolepsy](http://www-med.stanford.edu/school/Psychiatry/narcolepsy/), yeah? > > Or have I been mightily whooshed? > \*\* Actually, he does know what he’s talking about. My dad has sleep apnea and that’s why **he** used to nearly fall asleep driving. The problem is secondary to the apnea- if you don’t get enough restful sleep at night because you stop breathing and wake up when you start again (thus never going into the deep restorative stages of sleep), you are more prone to fall asleep while doing boring activities like driving. Once he started using his bi-pap machine so he wasn’t having problems with sleeping, he stopped nearly falling asleep while driving. [http://www.lungusa.org/press/medical/medapenea.html](http://www.lungusa.org/press/medical/medapenea.html) [http://www.lung.ca/sleepapnea/drivers/](http://www.lung.ca/sleepapnea/drivers/) [http://www.news.wisc.edu/view.html?get=4746](http://www.news.wisc.edu/view.html?get=4746) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/15 "2003-02-14T16:07:57Z")
Sometimes when I’m driving on the road at night, I see two headlights coming toward me fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion, the sound of shattering glass, flames rising out of the flowing gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/16 "2003-02-14T16:21:18Z")
> [@](#): > > I do not think [sleep apnea](http://www.sleepapnea.org/geninfo.html) means what you think it means Did anyone else narrate this sentence in their head, with a Spanish accent? I think it was a quote from a movie… I can’t remember which one now… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/17 "2003-02-14T16:35:52Z")
_Clear and Present Danger_? … which pretty much describes my wife’s driving. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/18 "2003-02-14T16:44:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by merge \* > \*\*Did anyone else narrate this sentence in their head, with a Spanish accent? > > I think it was a quote from a movie… I can’t remember which one now… :smack: \*\* _The Princess Bride_ I’ve seen enough bad drivers of both sexes to know that it doesn’t matter which has the slight advantage. Good drivers are overwhelmingly outnumbered by bad. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/19 "2003-02-14T16:48:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*Sometimes when I’m driving on the road at night, I see two headlights coming toward me fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion, the sound of shattering glass, flames rising out of the flowing gasoline. \*\* So…which version of GTA do you play, 3 or vice city? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965/20 "2003-02-14T17:02:05Z")
I don’t think “bad” drivers even realize that they ARE bad drivers. My sister, her husband, and my step-father are AWFUL drivers and yet if you ask them they think they are good! They usually drive either too slow or too fast and just do stupid shit all the time in the car. I’ve been in the car with my sister when she went through a stop sign. I pointed it out to her and she hadn’t even realized it was there. Later on the same trip we were stopped at a red light. She suddenly started going forward but the light had not changed yet. When I asked what she was doing she said she thought the light was green! And no she is not color blind. The list goes on. I, of course, am a great driver. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-are-all-excellent-drivers/154965.md?page=2)