Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Women Are Twice As Likely To Hit The Gas By Mistake
CBS ^ | April 21, 2012 | Staff

Posted on 04/21/2012 12:30:08 PM PDT by library user

Gentlemen: on a scale of one to ten, how much do you value your relationship with your wife? Girlfriend? Mother? Sister? Female co-workers? If you answered more than, say, a five, you might want to skip this article entirely, because it could get you into a lot of trouble.

You see, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently commissioned a study from the TransAnalytics research firm and the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina. And that study found that women seem predisposed to hit the gas when they really mean to hit the brake.

In fact, the data reveals that women are twice as likely to accidentally hit the accelerator than men are.

The study looked at police data on crashes that occurred within North Carolina and at news reports on accidents that happened elsewhere. And in cases of unintended acceleration, women were at fault roughly 66% of the time.

But it’s not just women who are to blame. The study found that older drivers and younger drivers are particularly dangerous when it comes to gas-pedal accidents.

In North Carolina, those accidents were most common among persons younger than 20 and older than 76. In out-of-state news reports, though, seniors clearly cause the most mayhem, with folks over 76 blamed for 40% of all unintended acceleration accidents. (Older drivers also shouldered the blame in many of those Toyota and Lexus accidents, which led to the recall fiasco of 2010.)

Men: if you’re still reading this, please note that you’re not off the hook yet. In fact, when the number-crunchers leading the study looked at all accidents — not just those involving unintended acceleration — guys were at fault 60% of the time.

What’s behind all these numbers? Are men really more dangerous behind the wheel? Why are women more likely to be involved in gas-pedal accidents? Do women in North Carolina need to change their shoes?

We have no idea — and even if we did, we probably wouldn’t hazard a guess.

But it does raise a question we’ve already raised once today: how much good are NHTSA’s brake-override regulations really going to do?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: gaspedal; mistake; study; women
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041 next last
To: mirkwood
The only time I saw a woman do this was my ex just at the time I was in front of the vehicle. Had to be an accident, right?

Funny, a similar thing happened to me. During the divorce she suddenly accelerated and swing sharply across two lanes of traffic, right at me... in midtown NYC...at rush hour. What are the odds, steering and gas malfunctioning at the same time as I was starting to cross the street?

True story. Damn lucky that news kiosk was there.

21 posted on 04/21/2012 1:01:28 PM PDT by Covenantor ("Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern." Chesterton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: SandRat

Ask 100 women what a “clutch” is, and 98 will say it’s a handbag.


22 posted on 04/21/2012 1:04:45 PM PDT by Fresh Wind ('People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.' Richard M. Nixon)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra
Ask any brake shop and they'll tell you that the primary reason they see worn out brake shoes or pads is from riding the brakes with the left foot while still having the right foot on the gas pedal.

Watch closely how you wife/girl friend/daughter drives. I I bet you'll see it first hand.

23 posted on 04/21/2012 1:05:01 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Covenantor

When my first fiance and I broke up she said,”I’m going to miss you.”
I said,”I know you are,I tampered with the sights on your rifle.”


24 posted on 04/21/2012 1:08:52 PM PDT by Farmer Dean (stop worrying about what they want to do to you,start thinking about what you want to do to them)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: ImJustAnotherOkie

When I was 16 and learning, I thought the clutch was a foot rest.
The Old Man pointed out to me that practice would damage the clutch and throw-out bearing, so I stopped.


25 posted on 04/21/2012 1:12:13 PM PDT by tumblindice (Our new, happy lives.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SandRat

“the primary reason they see worn out brake shoes or pads is from riding the brakes with the left foot”

That’s not a problem for me, as I definitely don’t ride the pedals. But it’s also the reason I wouldn’t recommend it for others.


26 posted on 04/21/2012 1:13:23 PM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Albion Wilde

Now that’s an entry for a joke by Jeff Foxtworthy about courtesy smell on the Red Neck Comedy Tour.


27 posted on 04/21/2012 1:13:53 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: library user

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzOi7slW2yE&feature=related


28 posted on 04/21/2012 1:24:23 PM PDT by Fresh Wind ('People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.' Richard M. Nixon)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fresh Wind

With a 5-speed, I have to be a 2-footed driver.

Once I was driving an automatic car and creeping at a light, my left foot just jumped on the brake for no reason. What a shock that was. It was looking for the clutch pedal hehehe.


29 posted on 04/21/2012 1:30:16 PM PDT by bicyclerepair ( REPLACE D-W-S ! http://www.karenforcongress.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: library user

OK, this blonde’s (male? female? `Pat’ let’s say) car was running roughly and had no acceleration.

The mechanic checked it out and Pat was paying the bill, checking out the repair order.

“What was the problem?” asked Pat.

“Just crap in the carburetor,” said the mechanic.

“I’ll have to get up a little bit earlier before work, but I suppose I can do that.”

Thank you—please, stop!
You’re too kind.
What a great crowd!


30 posted on 04/21/2012 1:30:53 PM PDT by tumblindice (Our new, happy lives.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: library user

What percentage of elderly drivers are women? My grandmother did all the driving after my grandfather had had a couple of heart attacks. And then there are the men who just aren’t there, because they’ve already died.

Once I gave an elderly couple a lift across a mall lot to their car. He couldn’t walk (probably angina or CHF) and she couldn’t drive. Don’t you want me to call someone for you, I kept asking. No, we’ll just sit in the car until he feels better, they said.


31 posted on 04/21/2012 1:52:51 PM PDT by heartwood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SWAMPSNIPER
I’ve often wondered why more of them don’t poke an eye out putting on lipstick.

It's worse when they fard!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fard

Did you here when Rush did the bit about women "farding" in their cars?

It was hilarious!

32 posted on 04/21/2012 1:58:47 PM PDT by Las Vegas Ron (Rush Limbaugh = the Beethoven of talk radio - http://www.istandwithrush.org/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Las Vegas Ron

here = hear = yeesh!


33 posted on 04/21/2012 2:03:27 PM PDT by Las Vegas Ron (Rush Limbaugh = the Beethoven of talk radio - http://www.istandwithrush.org/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: library user

I find that hard to believe. Everyone who’s hit the gas and driven through buildings around here (for some reason we have a lot) have been men. One had just bought my old car a couple months earlier. Poor car. It was a good one.


34 posted on 04/21/2012 2:11:30 PM PDT by bgill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: library user

Matches standard equipment turn signals on women’s vehicles: Left and No-Your-Other-Left.


35 posted on 04/21/2012 2:15:54 PM PDT by relictele (We are officially OUT of other people's money!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: library user

Annual meeting of the National Association of Women Drivers ...

SnakeDoc

36 posted on 04/21/2012 2:18:55 PM PDT by SnakeDoctor ("I've shot people I like more for less." -- Raylan Givens)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: library user; a fool in paradise
Woman driver.


37 posted on 04/21/2012 2:21:08 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: library user

Women Drivers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wT7zM8XgXQ

(ducking)


38 posted on 04/21/2012 2:25:44 PM PDT by Mechanicos (Vote NOT-ROMNEY ; Take it to the Convention and do it over!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: library user

Actually, Blond women are eight times as likely as men to hit the accelerator by accident. Fortunately, only about one woman in four is a natural blond.


39 posted on 04/21/2012 2:44:40 PM PDT by MIchaelTArchangel (Romney ruined Massachusetts. Now he wants to ruin the nation.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SandRat

I’ve heard of a “courtesy flush” and a “courtesy roll” (window down in the car), but I’ve never heard of a courtesy smell.

That does remind me, however, of a great old joke:

Q. Why do farts smell like they do?

A. So that the deaf can also enjoy them.


40 posted on 04/21/2012 3:04:12 PM PDT by Albion Wilde ("Real men are not threatened by strong women." -- Sarah Palin)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson