By Nibha Chaudhuri

Mangaluru, Feb 1: People say that woman cannot drive. That may have been true back in the days when women were not given basic human rights. But in the 21st century, with the evolution of equal rights, studies and reports from transport authorities around the world seem to prove the contrary. Not only can women drive, they have been shown to be better and more prudent drivers than their male counterparts. Why then does this myth of gender stereotyping on the road continue? Countless times I have heard from my friends, "Careful, it is a woman driver."

From my experience on the road I can safely say the danger on the road does not depend on the presence or absence of the Y chromosome in a driver. It depends on how many road rules the drivers are breaking. Take a brief look at the Motor Vehicles Act and consider how many rules are actually being followed. Let us take a look at what the Mangaloreans think on this subject.

In Mangaluru, the percentage of women driving has significantly increased in the last decade, according to the regional transport office. Badruddin, principal of Master Driving School, says, "Women make up at most 40% of the students who enroll at the school. Teaching women to drive isn’t much different from teaching men. Women learn just as fast as men. The rate of learning does not depend on gender but rather the individual’s capacity and educational background. Driving is a skill and like every other skill it takes time and effort to acquire."

Traffic officials at Jyothi Circle state that women operating vehicles is a good thing and must be encouraged. In their experience, car drivers are more prudent than riders. Riders tend to speed, though female riders are significantly less rash and adventurous on the road than male riders. However, one flaw they have observed in all female drivers is that they lack confidence while driving. This causes them to hold up traffic and attracts the wrath of other commuters, commonly called road rage. At junctions, female drivers are bullied by other drivers through incessant use of the horn and overtaking from all possible sides.

"Women should stay calm when they are on the road," say auto drivers at the auto stand next to the Mangalore City Corporation. "When a woman is driving, she should be aware of her surroundings. At turns and junctions, she must first check her mirrors and make sure that both sides are clear before she proceeds. They must also avoid applying sudden brakes as it becomes difficult for the driver behind them to react in such situations," they said, adding, "Women driving vehicles is a good thing as it encourages women to take charge of their lives, though it has significantly reduced our income."

Sanjay Chaudhuri has been driving for the past 40 years. He says, "Women drivers face a lot of discrimination, from sexist jokes and remarks to men constantly harassing them. I have seen buses and cab drivers go extremely close to women drivers, which is not the same with men and this in turn tends to make them more nervous. Driving mistakes made by women are brought under heavy scrutiny and criticism but most mistakes made by men are ignored. In my experience, the skill of driving does not depend on the gender. In fact, women observe more rules and are still blamed and labeled as bad drivers."

According to the women of Mangaluru, driving symbolizes freedom and independence. Women have to depend on their spouses, fathers or brothers for almost all their needs until they decide to take charge and learn to drive. "As soon as I learned to drive, all the household errands fell upon me," says Tara Pai. "From picking up kids from school and their extracurricular activities to grocery shopping, work is never ending. However, I still prefer being able to drive rather than having to depend on my husband for the tiniest of issues."

Asked how what she thought of the driving conditions in Mangaluru, Pai replied, "I would not recommend people to drive here. People on the road have become highly uncivilized. I find that drivers are very rash on the road and have no regard for the rules on the road."

Says Prasanna Hegde, "Road rage is prevalent mainly among men, though these days women are prone to lose their tempers on the road and hurl abuses as well. Men especially cannot stand being overtaken by women. One instance I remember is when I passed a parked autorickshaw, the driver started his auto and cut me off, glaring and abusing me the whole time. It all comes down to a matter of their ego being hurt."

Molly Chaudhuri, resident of Lalbagh, says, "Junctions see the worst traffic, and as a woman driver, it is doubly difficult as the men automatically assume the lack of driving skills on our part. They honk and try to bully their way through. In my experience, women tend to follow rules more but end up in accidents due to male aggravation. In Hampankatta, an autorickshaw coming from the wrong side on a one-way road hit my car and drove off without so much as a second glance. But for every inconsiderate driver, there are five helpful drivers out there. We should just be more prudent on the road.

"Bus drivers are the worst. They don’t seem to care about the rules or other people’s property. In times where I have been able to hold the bus driver accountable for the damage to my car, he denies me compensation stating that I have insurance. My husband has never faced this sort of aggressive and condescending behavior. Most drivers tend to take advantage of the docile nature of women," she said.

"Bus drivers are the worst," says Dr Shaila Shenoy. "Vehicles must maintain at least a three feet distance between each other. Buses tend to stand less than a foot away from my bumper at traffic signals and constantly blow their horns. As soon as they see a woman driving, they tend to speed up in an effort to overtake her, with no worries as to whether they hit the car or not."

In conclusion, driving and traffic misconduct on the road, at least in Mangaluru, can not be blamed on women. People must abandon the old assumption that women are incapable of driving. Further, experienced drivers, particularly men, should identify the lack of confidence seen on the faces, especially women, and try to help boost their confidence rather than bully them around or blame them for their mistakes.