subject: Young Male Stereotypical Drivers [print this page] Young male stereotypical drivers Young male stereotypical drivers
There are some very bad, reckless drivers on our roads and for the most of them there is no excuse and they cast their mayhem wider into a criminal lifestyle.
Fortunately there are many drivers who are not like that and the vast majority want to be safe. The stereotype has always been portrayed of these bad drivers to be young males, hence why their insurance on their first car is always higher than girls. I wonder if their tearing road rage has anything to do with testosterone and if we are asking too much too young. If the legal limit to learn to drive was 21, would we witness as many accidents on the roads as we do today?
Stereotypes are our social killers. Images portrayed of us to be used in entertainment and marketing that often bear little relation to reality. Careful presentation makes unlikely celebrities look like reasonable iconic role models, and in this way masculinity can be defined as various blends of strong, fearless, daring and arrogant and it is here how cars and driving can often be employed to prove the point.
It is a well known fact that boys take longer to grow up than girls and while their physical age might be 17, their mental age is about 12. Seeking acceptance in peer groups and a raw urge for action-orientated challenges that has been wired into their brains from birth are false beacons that point to the rocks.
Significantly too, a lack of education in the mental skills leaves novices exposed to picking up unsafe driving practices from family and friends, or bowing to influence from peer passengers. Car control is a poor illusion of being in real control of driving situations and novice drivers are oblivious to this when they first start out. Most young male drivers, especially those driving used a Peugeot 206 in Cardiff can be found to enjoy the new found freedom a bit too much and show off to their peers. So are we correct in believing the stereotype of young male drivers or are we too quick to judge. Can we combat this stereotype by changing driving laws and increase insurance premiums on cars over a certain age? Or will a better education and safe driving seminars affect performance on the roads? Stereotyping young drivers is not fair for most but deserved for others.
