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Enough of these Dangerous Male Drivers


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For the journée des femmes, the ladies are now going to speak out and say they no longer wish to be subdued and sit next to a mad, male, chauvinist driver!

According to the Sécurité Routière, 75% of deaths on the roads are males who have a more dangerous attitude in driving. In 2010 92% of drivers causing  fatal accidents involving alcohol were guess who... men and in accidents caused by fatigue or malaise 78% of drivers were once again men.

http://actu.orange.fr/societe/securite-routiere-un-manifeste-contre-les-conduites-a-risque-masculines-afp_517996.html

 

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I can only speak for what it's like down here.

The most lethal drivers are the women (aged 20-45, often going to/from school in the mornings) and the 'white van' delivery drivers.  In terms of what I see, that's a 90%/10% split.  Everybody else is fine.

BTW, that allegation is borne out by the press reports in the local rag.

  

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An important statistic is missing. How many drivers are male and how many female?

In our macho neck of the woods I know of few couples where the wife drives, and in many cases the husband drives even if handicapped.

There are relatively few professional drivers who are women either (bus, lorry taxi etc)

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[quote user="NormanH"]In our macho neck of the woods ...

There are relatively few professional drivers who are women either (bus, lorry taxi etc) [/quote]

Brittany is clearly completely different ... I never cease to be amazed by the numbers of ordinary sized women, ie not great hulks, who drive gigantic lorries, huge long buses and all other kinds of machines here. And think nothing of it.

Sue

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All down to power steering, power brakes, air suspension etc which makes it a lot easier than years ago.

I do question why some of the tiny cars on the roads which are trying to reach phenomenal levels of fuel conservation have powered steering?

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[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

Simples - it's so you can have a phone in one hand, fag in the other and steer with the knees [;-)]

 

[/quote][:D]  And talking of dangerous (not male in this case) drivers - I once worked with somebody who boasted that she put her makeup on whilst driving to work.  AAAAAGH.[:-))]
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I'm with NormanH on this.  Those statistics on their own mean nothing.

75% (or whatever) of accidents involve male drivers?  So what?  Maybe 75% of all drivers on the road are male.

Only 2% of accidents involve an accountant as the driver.  Does that show that accountants are safer than other drivers?  I think not.

And here is one which is intuitively difficult to accept: suppose that 35% of accidents involve drivers who have been drinking.  So what?  Perhaps drinking increases the risk of accident, but that particular statistic doesn't prove it.  For all we know, 35% of all drivers on the road have been drinking. 

I do not condone drinking and driving.  Nor do I say that accountants shouldn't drive.  I only object to the misuse of statistics.

 

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[quote user="cooperlola"][:D]  And talking of dangerous (not male in this case) drivers - I once worked with somebody who boasted that she put her makeup on whilst driving to work.  AAAAAGH.[:-))][/quote]

Years ago, I slowed down behind a traffic queue, as one does. I idly looked in the mirror, to see a car approaching, fortunately not fast, with the lady driver doing just that. She looked up at the last minute, and her horrified expression was a sight to behold. She hit the brakes, but too late. She got out to inspect the damage, and burst into tears; I had to laugh at her freshly applied make-up running all over her face. Fortunately my sturdy tow-bar minimised my damage to practically nothing, but I don' think her car was drivable [6].

Guess she won't be doing that again[:D]

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I worked for a wine merchants years ago.  One of our store managers got called out in the early morning once as his shop had been broken into and he had to attend.  A woman drove into the back of him at a set of traffic lights because - she told the police at the scene - she was changing a tape in the stereo.  They both got breathalised as a matter of routine and he was over the limit as he'd been drinking the night before and hadn't expected to have to drive as it was his day off.  He lost his license and his job (although luckily because of the circumstances and because he was so good at it that the company found him something else at HQ which he could get to by train).  You may be the best driver on the planet but you never know who's going to drive into you.
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Tuesday morning flew in to Toulouse and picked up the hire car - a Ford Ka (sorry if anyone has one but I found it absolutely awful especially the engine keep stopping at lights etc, wonder how it will fare when the battery is a bit knackered and the engine is a little worn) but I digress.....

There you are sir, it has 745km on it - eek, why don't they have rent-a-wreck.

So I was very careful where I parked it etc.

Heading back to the airport I pulleed in to a supermarket to fill up being very careful and then in to the queue to pay. Sitting there waiting my turn when suddenly 'BANG' Pierre has gone in to the back of me. Marvellous how the little bit of French I have suddenly evaporates and of course he spoke no English. Looked like there were a couple of very small paint chips which may or not have been caused by the bump.

Now just wondering if they will grab some of the excess.

Paul

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I guess it just depends on whether or not they spot it, Paul.  Did you fill in the accident form with him?

A friend of mine nipped into a Brico recently and left her o/h in the car.  Whilst she was in the shop there was also a loud BANG and the front wall of the building shook, turning heads all over the store.  Whilst waiting for her, her o/h had decided to turn the car around and reversed it into the front wall of the building.  It's not always women...  Like the others, I'm not convinced these figures tell the whole story as they stand.  Lies, damned lies, statistics and all that.

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