Medical mysteries

Q: WHO ARE BETTER DRIVERS — MEN OR WOMEN? A: YES.

WRITER: FRED HILTON // PHOTO ILLUSTRATOR: ANTHONY CASTO

It’s offi cial: Men are better drivers than women; http://articles.timesofi ndia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-14/man-woman/35819131_1_uae-reside ntsmen-and-women-drivers-gender-stereotypes: New UK study suggests women better drivers than men; http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/ 08/new-uk-study-suggests-women-better-drivers-than-men/ (Accessed March 25, 2013)

Today’s question is one that could be a bit tricky to answer — maybe even dangerous if you are married. The question: Are men or women better drivers?

The answer is really pretty simple. The answer is “yes.” That seemingly impossible response is explained by a famous phrase: There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. As a one-time public relations man, I can guarantee you that statistics can be used to prove anything and everything, no matter how contradictory the points might be.

For proof of the flexibility of statistics, the website for Cheap Car Insurance has one study titled 10 Reasons Why Men are Better Drivers than Women and another study titled 13 Reasons Why Women are Better Drivers than Men.

The argument for the men includes the following: men are involved in fewer crashes than women per mile driven; women are more likely to drive while using a cellphone; men pass the driving test faster; men have more experience with cars; and women are more likely to drive with pets in their cars or obstructions in the mirrors. Another reason cited is that women with PMS can become irrational drivers. (You would be wise not to bring that one up while playing couples’ bridge.)

Arguments for the women include: men feel like they “own the road”; women have fewer accidents; scantily clad women are more of a distraction to men than women; motherly instincts give female drivers an edge; women have longer attention spans than men; and women are more likely to wear seatbelts. And, to offset the PMS claim, women can argue that testosterone leads to aggressive and dangerous driving. osterone better drivers. ab Emirates ho Of those, 44 he better drivers en were ent took der did not ning, er men are choed on ely s an ve attention men are to offset the PMS at testosterone leads to rous d ke a ng ra ho O the wome percen d gende lity Planni ers, said wom t is ech ntal which conducted omen are uasion, however, I udy in ere d.

Some sources do make a case for members of one sex being better drivers. A survey in the United Arab Emirates interviewed 750 people who were evenly split between the genders. Of those, 44 percent felt that men were the better drivers and only 10 percent said women were better. (The remaining 46 percent took the safe approach and said gender did not make any difference.)

On the other hand, Quality Planning, a company that validates policyholder information for auto insurers, said women are clearly better drivers. That opinion is echoed by Carrentals UK, a car rental comparison company in Great Britain which conducted a study that concluded women are definitely superior drivers.

Being of the male persuasion, however, I must point out that the study done in Great Britain was in a place where people drive on the wrong side of the road.

FRED HILTON spent 36 years as the chief public relations officer/spokesman for James Madison University in Virginia and 10 years prior as a reporter and editor for The Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia. He is now happily retired in The Villages with his interior designer wife, Leta, their Cadillac Escalade golf cart, and their dog, Paris. (Yes, that makes her Paris Hilton).

ON spent 36 years as the James sity d editor for s ia. in The s their de s her Paris

“I suffered for years, but FMI got me back in the swing of things in no time.”

Over the past 30 years, I’ve performed thousands of successful minimally-invasive surgeries, from arthroscopy to full joint replacement. Still, my philosophy remains conservative, and I always approach surgery as a last resort. 9 out of 10 patients can return to their normal activity level without surgery, and I have the success and safety stats and patient approval ratings to prove it.