Filed under: Pop Culture
Honda claims it does not believe women are worse drivers than men, BUT… just in case, they have published a driving guide specifically for women about how to pump gas, safely transport children and pets and, of course, how to park.
What about how to apply lipstick while chatting on your cell, drinking a latte and driving? That one always gets me.
The Japanese-language pamphlet “erases all your fears about driving,” Honda said in a statement. “We would like to let all women know how to drive safely. We would like to minimize accidents of women drivers,” a Honda spokesman said.
Asked whether the publication implied women were worse drivers than men, the spokesman hedged: “We don’t think so. There are some specific cases of women drivers, and we focus on those cases.”
Hmmmm.
The pamphlet also gives advice for aging female drivers and has sections on environmental awareness, saving fuel and driving safely at night.
What a great idea! If they add a bonus section about “How to Get Out of a Speeding Ticket with Properly Applied Oral Sex,” then I must get one of those babies in English!
Posted by Candy ♦ March 12, 2008
At 9:52 am BV said:
Yeah, and that’s why my car insurance is half that of my male counterparts. Insurance companies don’t lie, people.
March 12, 2008
At 9:54 am Faylinn said:
At first I thought this was stupid and sexist, but I did get cut off many-a-times by minivan driving soccer moms. God forbid you don’t pick up your child at exactly 5:00.
March 12, 2008
At 9:59 am Marie said:
So many women I would love to give this to.
March 12, 2008
At 10:03 am CPTWilly said:
You know, I actually teach driver ed. Ahh, the stories I could tell.
Nevertheless, it sounds like this pamphlet is aimed at women who have never driven or do not drive often. Given that it is in Japanese, they are not dealing with the American agressive woman driver. Rather than sexist, it sounds like it is meeting the needs of a target demographic. I bet more Japanese women will start buying Hondas.
As for insurance, rates used to account for sex, but todays female driver is as bad as todays male driver and most insurance companies no longer give women a break (BV, you better keep the company you are with).
March 12, 2008
At 10:04 am Dr. L said:
Soccer moms are the worst. In my entitled neighborhood, they pull over and park in the fire lane so they can just run into the g-store for something.
Christ on the cross.
Which is it you have Money, or time? New concept: If you’re really well off, you have both.
March 12, 2008
At 10:10 am CPTWilly said:
Your soccer moms pull over? Soccer moms here just stop in the middle of the street.
March 12, 2008
At 10:33 am wickedgood said:
Normally I’d be irritated with this.
However, lately I’ve discovered that a LOT of female acquaintances (in their 20s) are scared to drive/learn to drive/attempt to get their driver’s license. This boggles my mind (I’ve been driving since I was 16), especially since it makes them dependent on others (usually males) to drive them around.
It’s not that hard, people! Grow some balls and free yourselves~!
March 12, 2008
At 10:56 am slacker chic said:
How about how to give these fuckers the finger while shifting gears and holding the stearing wheel? Is that in there? It should be.
March 12, 2008
At 11:05 am martini lover said:
men are more likely to be killed in an accident because they drive more aggressively. that said, i think most everyone is a terrible driver.
March 12, 2008
At 11:19 am Vern said:
I don’t remember, did I drive INTO or try to drive out of mah double wide?
March 12, 2008
At 11:42 am Nanners said:
There’s no section on how to apply makeup while switching lanes?
March 12, 2008
At 1:09 pm Bee Hind said:
My brother in law-worst driver ever.
He tailgates, drives 30 miles over the speed limit at all times, I’m astounded he hasn’t gotten into a major accident.
I agree with the SUV soccer mom theory, they think stop signs are merely suggestions.
March 12, 2008
At 2:51 pm librarian kathleen said:
I see drivers of every gender do stuff like this every day, all at the same time:
yak on the cell phone while balancing coffee cup, cigarette,and fast food breakfast item;,
comb and fluff hair while looking in the rear view mirror;
furiously punch buttons on the radio/stereo;
(and mostly this is male drivers, sorry) try to control a manual transmission.
In western PA, there is also the matter of the aggressive left hand turn across traffic when the light is not quite any color. Yikes.
Traffic — what traffic? It’s a miracle more of us don’t die on the road every morning.
March 12, 2008
At 2:58 pm midevil said:
Nothing beats what I witnessed yesterday at the market. An SUV Soccer Mom pulled out of a parking space and hit a vehicle that was stopped at a red light.
March 12, 2008
At 5:10 pm Eize said:
I want to know how to fly my pick-up into someone’s house–like the guy in the picture.
March 12, 2008
At 5:43 pm Faylinn said:
Eize: Just ask Billy Joel. He’s pretty good at it.
March 12, 2008
At 1:04 am vitretex said:
I am a woman,love to drive,love cars and etc. and i´ll say it everytime i curse at some idiot on the road,it happens to be a woman when u overtake them,yes,women in general ar horrible drivers,just horrible!
And by the way what are the houses in the US made off?!paper??! If a car heats my house,the car will be totally damaged and there will not be even a scrach on the painting of the house,but this on the picture has even gone trough!?
March 13, 2008
At 1:08 am vitretex said:
librarian kathleen,oh common,what u r describing is a tipical but tipical WOMAN DRIVER behavior..Man are and always gonna be better drivers,there is not even point to be talking about it..i am so sick of this gender war,lets call the blue-green cause of it.
March 13, 2008
At 6:06 pm Miss Mezza said:
Australian statistics show that here, at least, women are SAFER (= better) drivers.
Japanese society ain’t really noted for being gender respectful/inclusive, is it?
I’m not gonna even bother getting angry about this one. In my mind I’m just gonna send ‘em a case of fruit and a few kilos of sugar so they can ‘jam it.’
March 14, 2008