Survey Says Men and Women Differ on Bad Weather Driving Expertise

February 16, 2006

Men and women don't see eye to eye when it comes to rating the driving skills of their significant others, according to a Chrysler Group "Bad Weather Driving" survey that polled more than 1,000 adults and revealed an overwhelming 68 percent of men claim to be better drivers than their significant others.

Forty-nine percent of women, on the other hand, think they are as equally skilled at driving as their male counterparts and more than one in four women (26 percent) say they are better drivers than their significant others.

Even though men and women rate their driving abilities very differently,
both genders have the same opinion about driving in bad weather conditions. Eighty-four percent of men and 86 percent of women identified icy roads and pouring rain as the two most difficult weather conditions for driving.

Additionally, the same situations that make male drivers uncomfortable were identified as frustrating by female drivers. Seventy percent of both men and women said the possibility of losing control of the vehicle or having to swerve for an unexpected object in the road made for the most unnerving driving situations.

Last year alone, there were more than one million weather-related traffic accidents according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Additional survey results:

* Weather Worriers: Only seven percent of drivers identified heavy snow as the most difficult weather for driving. Sleet and strong winds were identified by four and three percent of adults respectively.
* Not-So-Modest Men: Only five percent of men admitted to being worse drivers than their significant others; 25 percent of women said their significant others were better drivers.