Post by: roo_ster on January 07, 2008, 01:02:42 PM
Women and gay men are likely to be the worst drivers, a new study has shown.
Research has revealed that both perform poorly in tasks involving navigation and spatial awareness when compared to heterosexual men.
Psychologists at Queen Mary, University of London, who conducted the study, believe the findings mean driving in a strange environment would be more difficult for gay men and women than for straight male motorists.
Both tend to rely on local landmarks to get around, and are also slower to take in spatial information.
The computer-based tests were carried out on 140 volunteers, and demonstrated that gay men, straight women and lesbians navigated in a similar way, sharing the same weaknesses.
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The results back earlier studies supporting the stereotype that women are poor navigators.
Although women are more successful in tests requiring them to remember the position of objects, men consistently do better in tasks requiring navigation and uncovering hidden objects.
The research team, led by Dr Qazi Rahman, used virtual reality simulations of two common tests of spatial learning and memory developed at Yale University.
In one, volunteers had to swim through an underwater maze to find a hidden platform, while the second involved exploring radial arms projecting from a central junction to receive 'rewards' .
Dr Rahman said: "Men are good at using distal, or geometrical cues, to decide if theyre going north or south, for instance. They have a better basic sense of direction, but they can use local land marks as well.
"Driving in a novel environment which is poor in cues is where these differences are likely to show up most.
"Women are going to take a lot longer to reach their destination, making more errors, taking wrong turns etc. They need more rich local landmarks."
Dr Rahman added that a similar performance between gay and straight men in the radial arms test showed that the divisions between sexual groups were not straightforward.
"Gay people appear to show a mosaic of performance, parts of which are male-like and other parts of which are female-like," he said.
Research has revealed that both perform poorly in tasks involving navigation and spatial awareness when compared to heterosexual men.
Psychologists at Queen Mary, University of London, who conducted the study, believe the findings mean driving in a strange environment would be more difficult for gay men and women than for straight male motorists.
Both tend to rely on local landmarks to get around, and are also slower to take in spatial information.
The computer-based tests were carried out on 140 volunteers, and demonstrated that gay men, straight women and lesbians navigated in a similar way, sharing the same weaknesses.
advertisement
The results back earlier studies supporting the stereotype that women are poor navigators.
Although women are more successful in tests requiring them to remember the position of objects, men consistently do better in tasks requiring navigation and uncovering hidden objects.
The research team, led by Dr Qazi Rahman, used virtual reality simulations of two common tests of spatial learning and memory developed at Yale University.
In one, volunteers had to swim through an underwater maze to find a hidden platform, while the second involved exploring radial arms projecting from a central junction to receive 'rewards' .
Dr Rahman said: "Men are good at using distal, or geometrical cues, to decide if theyre going north or south, for instance. They have a better basic sense of direction, but they can use local land marks as well.
"Driving in a novel environment which is poor in cues is where these differences are likely to show up most.
"Women are going to take a lot longer to reach their destination, making more errors, taking wrong turns etc. They need more rich local landmarks."
Dr Rahman added that a similar performance between gay and straight men in the radial arms test showed that the divisions between sexual groups were not straightforward.
"Gay people appear to show a mosaic of performance, parts of which are male-like and other parts of which are female-like," he said.
Post by: Paddy on January 07, 2008, 01:38:58 PM
Post by: atomd on January 07, 2008, 01:46:45 PM
Post by: Declaration Day on January 07, 2008, 01:46:59 PM
BTW, I'm 1/4 asian, and am thankful to have caucasian driving skills.
Post by: Perd Hapley on January 07, 2008, 02:02:53 PM
OK, it's not that bad, there are a few of us. And, hey, at least some people turn it on when they're half-way into your lane, six feet ahead of you. Very helpful, that is.
Post by: never_retreat on January 07, 2008, 02:55:21 PM
DWI driving while indian
the second is usually worse IMO
Post by: thebaldguy on January 07, 2008, 03:23:51 PM
Unreal. If I get hit by some kid he will probably be too busy on a cell phone to pay attention.
Post by: 280plus on January 07, 2008, 03:25:18 PM
Now, let's talk Mass-holes...
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on January 07, 2008, 03:57:52 PM
1'm 1/2 japanese and i chuckled first time i heard it
Post by: French G. on January 07, 2008, 04:22:31 PM
) Now it will be "Asian lesbian college student backberry user driver, no survivors."
Post by: BridgeWalker on January 07, 2008, 05:15:23 PM
There're more skills than navigation involved in driving and most crashes happen near home, in very familiar places. There's a couple real bizarre leaps there.
Post by: atomd on January 07, 2008, 06:13:50 PM
Now, let's talk Mass-holes...
Here's my take on drivers in the northeast after spending the last 4-5 years going back and forth from MA to ME about once per week. I think the MA drivers are actually better than the RI and NH drivers. At least in MA you know that these jerks are going to drive as fast as possible with little regard for anyone else. You stay out of the passing lane and you're OK (except for those weaving drivers here and there). You know what to look for (a car going 20-30mph over the limit who will navigate within inches of your car if needed). The closer you get to Boston, the crazier they get. A lot of these drivers can actually drive well but they completely lack regard for others.
In RI they drive pretty much the same way as MA with a tiny bit less attitude. The only problem is that there's a much better chance they are in a car crappier than yours and don't have any insurance.
The NH drivers are the worst tailgaters, usually in pickup trucks with loud exhaust. They just tailgate like crazy for no reason. They will tailgate you even if you are in the travel lane going 10-15 mph over the limit and the passing lane is completely clear for miles. Once they finally pass, you'll find them back in the travel lane going slower than you. I don't get them at all. I think their outright recklessness is less than the MA driver but their driving skills overall seem way lower (if you don't believe me, watch them try to parallel park). They aren't as predictable and they don't signal either. These days they seem to have the same "FU" attitude as the Massholes too. They will stick around and annoy longer than the MA drivers which makes them bother me the most.
The ME driver is just the overall slow driver. They will go under the speed limit in the passing lane. They won't move out of the way either. I don't know if they aren't paying attention or they just don't care but nothing will convince them to reach the speed limit or get out of the way. They are annoying and not the best drivers...but at least they are predictable. They also sit at green lights a lot longer too. They are the least aggressive of the bunch but I think overall the safest of the group because they just won't go fast enough to do as much damage as the others.
Post by: Antibubba on January 07, 2008, 08:27:48 PM
Post by: Jamisjockey on January 08, 2008, 03:30:38 AM
Head to SW Arizona in the winter. Encounter the scourge known as a "snowbird".
Regardless of ethnicity, religion, sex or sexual orientation....
You'll learn the meaning of defensive driving when a bluehair comes from the left lane to make a right hand turn in a 30' RV towing a 1/2ton pickup truck with a fishing boat on top.
Ban old people!
Post by: MechAg94 on January 08, 2008, 04:23:29 AM
I think all this really says is that women and men think differently and solve problems differently and evidence can be found for that in how they navigate in an automobile. Nothing more.
Post by: griz on January 08, 2008, 06:31:14 AM
Quote
but NOBODY uses their turn signals
What is this "turn signal" to which you refer?
Post by: Warhorse on January 08, 2008, 01:26:40 PM
We talk of such things as "situational awareness" but I suspect that the overwhelming percentage of our population is "situationally oblivious!" Too many people seem to be totally unconscious of anyone or anything going on around them. Could this be a result of the "ME" generation, just a defensive reaction to population density and the resulting lack of personal space and privacy or perhaps they simply don't care about anyone but themselves?
For those who have had the "pleasure" of driving anywhere in MA, especially closer to Boston, here's a little anecdote: I spent a lengthy TDY in Boston a couple of decades ago and the horrible experience of trying to get through the Calahan Tunnel is burned into my memory. I finally figured out how the natives get through it. They close their eyes and step on the gas! During that tour, one of the men who worked for me was actually stopped and chewed out by a cop for NOT running a red light! (Yeah, that really happened. I was there!)
OK. Rant mode off. Thanks for letting me get some of that off my chest.
Warhorse
Post by: Paddy on January 08, 2008, 01:35:54 PM
Quote
Could this be a result of the "ME" generation,
To whom do you refer? Boomers or Gen-Xr's?
Post by: Warhorse on January 08, 2008, 03:11:49 PM
Quote
To whom do you refer? Boomers or Gen-Xr's?
Does it matter? The general populance seems to be cut from the same cloth, at least in the subject arena.
Warhorse
Post by: wooderson on January 08, 2008, 03:17:37 PM
Post by: Perd Hapley on January 08, 2008, 05:42:36 PM
And I will admit to being a terrible driver. Another sign that I am actually "gay."
Post by: BridgeWalker on January 08, 2008, 06:16:03 PM
Seems the universal opinion is "EVERYONE is a terrible driver, except for me and possibly people who look like me or share my cultural values. And not all of them."
Nah, I'm perfectly willing to admit that female Jewish Catholic law students with a serious gun obsession are crappy drivers. Unless they are me, in which case they are awesome drivers. So you're half right...
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on January 09, 2008, 11:09:45 AM
its the older folks who scare me. when all you can see of grannie is her little white bun sticking up over the top of the steering wheel, its time for a bit of deffensive driving. oh, and the other scary one is tourist on VA rt. 53.
Post by: CAnnoneer on January 09, 2008, 03:14:59 PM
1) most of the bad drivers are women, but the very worst drivers are almost exclusively men.
2) on average, men are somewhat better navigators while women do tend to think in terms of landmarks
Post by: Paddy on January 09, 2008, 03:16:06 PM
Post by: crt360 on January 09, 2008, 04:11:48 PM
Post by: atomd on January 09, 2008, 04:27:09 PM
Has anybody noticed the increasing number of women road ragers? I mean really aggressive women drivers?
A woman road rager caused an accident I was in a while back on my motorcycle. She was driving a full size SUV. She won.
Post by: 280plus on January 09, 2008, 06:40:08 PM
Post by: Fly320s on January 09, 2008, 06:59:26 PM
The NH drivers are the worst tailgaters, usually in pickup trucks with loud exhaust. They just tailgate like crazy for no reason. They will tailgate you even if you are in the travel lane going 10-15 mph over the limit and the passing lane is completely clear for miles. Once they finally pass, you'll find them back in the travel lane going slower than you.
Absolute truth. Drives me buggy.They also have this infuriating habit of yielding the right-of-way when they aren't required to do so. Unprotected left turns are the most likely scenario. Really, it is very nice of them, but it makes it difficult to predict their actions.
Post by: Marnoot on January 09, 2008, 07:58:57 PM
Has anybody noticed the increasing number of women road ragers? I mean really aggressive women drivers?
Well if you'd stop staring at their breasts Riley, maybe they wouldn't get so upset?
Post by: seeker_two on January 10, 2008, 01:38:12 AM
...and, thanks to SYNCH (and the next 300 downloadable service packs), Microsoft will soon take over driving for all of us. Thank you, Bill Gates....
Post by: Creeping Incrementalism on January 10, 2008, 12:46:44 PM
Seems the universal opinion is "EVERYONE is a terrible driver, except for me and possibly people who look like me or share my cultural values. And not all of them."
I think it is people who grew up in poor countries without any "in car" experience as children who are the terrible drivers (Something about children being in cars and watching their parents drive must help a lot). The fact that these people are almost always non-European is why it might seem like there is a racist/"culturalist" attitude here.
If you truly want to find the dumbest drivers out there, it is pretty much everyone--when driving in dense fog. Everyone slows down some, yet still keeps about 1-2 seconds behind the car in front of him (same as they do in clear conditions) when it still takes about 4-5 seconds to come to a compelte stop. I think it is established as a rule of thumb that it takes a hundred cars colliding before the traffic at the back will be driving slowly enough to stop in time.
Post by: Brad Johnson on January 10, 2008, 02:36:38 PM
Out of any 10 people you'll have two going 25, two going 85, and two generally jockeying for position just because. The rest of us have our heads on swivels and simply want to get home alive. The two going 25 will ride their brakes and have one turn signal perpetually flashing. The two going 85 have forgotten what turn signals are and only use their brakes as a last resort. The two jockeying for position use their brakes and turn signals regularly, usually as a confirmation for the maneuver they just finished making.
Get's kinda fun sometimes.
Brad
Post by: HankB on January 11, 2008, 08:47:09 AM
The specific category I worry about most here in Central Texas are crew-cab pickups jammed with 8-10 persons of the Hispanic persuasion, probably illegals, and usually towing a beat-up trailer full of landscaping equipment and supplies . . . especially in the afternoon, when local convenience stores are FULL of them, tanking up on cerveza . . .