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By Emerald Salazar, Special to The Manila
Times
It’s the 21st century, when women are climbing
the highest peaks, commanding the largest corporations, and even
winning the most prestigious car races. American Danica Patrick
became the first female to win the Indy300 in Japan while still
retaining all her feminine allure that she displayed on FHM and
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition magazines. Local racer and Pinoy
Big Brother housemate Gaby de la Merced is set to do the same. And
yet gender stereotypes still abound, most especially about women
drivers.
Seeing a car on the road that is either going
too slow or moves unnecessarily automatically gives people the idea
that the driver is most probably a woman. Any car driven in a
hesitant and unsure manner is suspected as female driven.
Yet the old age stereotype about dangerous women
drivers has been shattered by statistics. Male drivers have 77
percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than women. The
numbers don’t lie. They prove that women are more careful and
aware of their surroundings. For them, the car is tool for
transportation, not an extension of manhood to show off and prove
they are more powerful and street savvy than anybody else. Women
drive without the attitude.
Women are also renowned for being gentler on
their vehicles and for being more meticulous with their care. Being
formerly female-owned is often used as a sales pitch for used cars.
Fresh-smelling, clean and well-maintained cars that have known only
a lady’s touch often command a higher price. Women are less likely
to abuse a car or push it to its limits.
It’s time for men to shut up and drive. Or
better yet let a woman take the wheel.
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