France
“Drive a car like a woman” campaign warns men
Billboard in a subway underpass for the “Drive a car like a woman” (Conduisez comme une femme) campaigner. photo
© Michael Evers/dpa
Even in France, many men still believe they are better drivers. A campaign now advises: “Drive a car like a woman”. This would reduce the number of accidents and traffic fatalities.
The French traffic accident victim support organization wants to use a campaign that seems sexist at first glance Encourage men to be more considerate behind the wheel. “Drive a car like a woman” (Conduisez comme une femme) is written in large letters on the posters that have recently been hanging in the Paris metro, among other places, and each show a man behind the wheel.
In smaller text, the three different motifs state that 84 percent of fatal traffic accidents are caused by men, 88 percent of young drivers killed are men and 93 percent of people involved in an accident under the influence of alcohol are also men. The advice on all the posters ends with: “Driving like a woman means only one thing, staying alive.”
“In road traffic, the misogynistic belief that men have better driving skills than women persists,” explained the traffic accident victim support “Victimes & Citoyens”. However, a look at the numbers shows that this prejudice is not statistically proven. “The numbers are clear: In order to stay alive on the road, men should drive the same as women. Then the number of accidents and the number of victims would decrease.” The new campaign on social media and on large posters therefore has a pointed message: “Drive a car like a woman.”
The campaign met with a skeptical response online, especially among male users. The numbers mean nothing if you don’t compare how many kilometers men and women each cover, said one user. Victim Support cites data according to which vehicle owners, on average, travel 12,500 kilometers a year, only slightly more distance than vehicle owners who travel 11,200 kilometers. Another pointed out that risk groups such as long-distance drivers, motorcyclists and frequent professional drivers are mostly men, which influences the numbers.