Female drivers incompetency: A gender bias

The Malaysian public should debunk the gender bias perception that female drivers are less competent than their male counterpart.

According to a survey conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), in 2009, the numbers of crashes involving men drivers were 2.4 times more than women drivers. There were 244,336 cases involving man drivers as compared to 103,153 cases with women drivers, throughout the nation.

Nor Azura Zabir, 27, a private sector employee said that female drivers have been unfairly labeled as clumsy and incompetent road users.

She said she fully supported the statement made by the MIROS because it proved that female drivers are more cautious which is why they are more comfortable driving at a manageable speed as compared to the male drivers who are always on the rush while on the road.

Whereas Megat Abdul Halim Megat Mohd, 28, another private sector employee said that in reality female drivers nowadays are equally competence and at times reckless too as compared to years ago.

Noriskandar Arbain, 26, a private college lecturer said that in term of driving habits, it is the same irrespective of gender.

So, the public should not be too quick in making a comparison with the male counterparts and be biased in their judgment, she said.