Thu, 15 Feb 2018 11:13:59 +0000
By CHIKUMBI KATEBE
WOMEN are known to be stead drivers on the road. It is said that if you buy a used car previously owned by a woman, then it’s in top notch condition; it is a good car.
But some women have become harsh drivers because of experiences they have gone through while on the road.
Many believe that women will always give way or allow your passage on the roads: it is called courtesy, but how often are they treated with the same courtesy?
It is because of encounters with rough riders that some women have grown horns and have become rough themselves as opposed to being push overs on the road.
It is amazing how some women have become superwoman with tricks and stunts thought to be the preserve of men.
I have seen women cut-in and gain/lose speed in the manner that is associated with men.
Women have become daredevils on the road, and the cutting in is no longer just a thing that men do. These are becoming frequent on the Zambian roads with some instances where women have been caught up on the wrong side of the law by taking to illicit activities while driving, which has seen some even being prosecuted before the Courts of Law.
Positive….
According to Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST), women make the best passenger service vehicle (PSV) drivers in the men dominated transport sector in Zambia.
ZRST senior communications advisor, Mailon Mwale said there was need to incorporate more women in public transport service as they made the best drivers at safety and taking precautionary measures against road carnage.
Mr Mwale said they have observed that very few women take up PSV driving because they were scared of the wheel.
“In Zambia, research has shown that women make the best PSV drivers, that is buses and truck drivers with very little incidence of accidents recorded as a result of their carelessness or negligence.
“However, most women on the Zambian roads are scared of being behind the wheel, as they lack confidence to maneuver big vehicles on the streets,” he said.
He explained that most women were so scared on the roads and end up ignoring the basic rules that govern safe driving.
He claimed that most women when driving just focus on reaching their destination as opposed to observing their surroundings which included other road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and other motor vehicles.
“They focus too much on their destinations and fail to observe some road signs like the four-way stop, yield/give way signs as well as general courtesy on the road.
“Most women lack basic understanding of the rules of driving as they just know how to change gears and focus only on reaching their destination,” he said.
There is need to help raise numbers of women PSV drivers to build confidence in the women folk especially by encouraging more women to take up driving as a career to encourage other females build their confidence on the road.
And from the regulators…
And according to the Road Traffic and Safety Agency (RTSA), there are more men drivers on the Zambian roads compared to women, hence the huge difference in the ratio of events/activities happening in relation to the menfolk.
RTSA public relations manager Frederick Mubanga said very few women were actually engaged in long distance driving, which resulted in very few incidences involving women on the high way.
He explained that because of this, very few women have been found wanting on disobeying the high way code with reference to long distance driving.
But that the story on the intra-town operations was different with some women being caught up drunk-driving, while others have failed to observe basic traffic rules.
“The ratio of women drivers is still much lower than the men folk, who as a result remain the most culprits in traffic offences, but we have a growing trend of drink driving offences among female drivers.
“Some women in Lusaka and other towns of course have been caught driving under the influence, and others have already been prosecuted under the Fast Track Courts, and this is becoming a growing trend,” he said.
He said very few women have been caught up being inappropriate situations on the high way because very few have enough courage to take on long distance trips.
My opinion….
It is mostly lack of confidence that turns women to being victims of road traffic accidents on the roads.
Obviously, they do not receive much support to build their esteem driving that IST, Noah, Ipsum, Vitz, or indeed RAV4, because of the numerous comments passed at them as they drive.
It is evident that women are very careful drivers, so maybe a few have become brutes owing to the treatment they get from male chauvinists who claim the place of a woman should be in the kitchen and not behind the wheel.
There are such comments as “ahhh! Niba auntie! Ni chimukazi! Niba mzimai…” and so on, usually referring to women drivers who are held up a bit longer at a turn to ascertain the safety before moving.
And usually, PSV drivers hail harsh words in some cases insults to women that hold steady along the roads as the men speed off (literally over-speeding)
It is apparent that from the two road safety agencies, there is great effort in trying to encompass women at the professional level, but that the female folk lack the confidence.
It is in self defence that women end up making mistakes that lead to accidents in some instances, which could be avoided if only that lady driver had enough support from other road users.
This piece comes following a complaint by one of my relatives, who complained against women drivers as being perpetrators of two road traffic accidents he’s had in the recent past.
He explained that his near death experience as a cyclist unfortunately involved lady drivers particularly those driving small vehicles.
“Sadly, have been at the wheels of lady drivers…particularly in small cars! To all drivers, please keep an eye out for other road users including cyclists.
“Most of you will change lanes to avoid pot holes…but are quite happy to pass within a whisker of a cyclist!
“Spare a thought for those on two wheels, slow down, signal, switch lanes to go round them instead of squeezing past so closely that we can actually smell the rancor of alcohol on your breath!” he writes.
