Driving Behavior Men and Women

Driving Behavior Men and women differ in their behavior in many different ways. Driving is just one example of that observation. There are many likely psychological reasons that explain this difference. I believe that males are more confident, territorial and more easily provoked into becoming aggressive in their behavior. Men are also more likely to take risks in general. All of these behavioral differences are reflected in the way that men and women interact with other drivers.

The following two experiments are designed to test the relative differences in the way that male and female drivers respond to two typical driving situations. In the first experiment, the experimenter will record the responses of male and female drivers to being passed on the highway. In the second experiment, the experimenter will record their respective responses to a driver who attempts a "late merge" at highway exit ramp.

Hypothesis #1 Male drivers are more likely than female drivers to speed up to match the speed of a vehicle that attempts to pass them slowly. Women are more likely to maintain their speed and allow the passing vehicle to overtake them easily. The independent variable is the gender of the driver being overtaken. The dependent variable is the relative increase in speed necessary to overtake a vehicle on the highway.

The dependent variable will be measured by first pacing the car to be overtaken by matching its speed in the vehicle driven by the experimenter from a short but safe distance behind in the same lane. In each condition, the study will focus on five drivers, for a total of ten drivers in the study. Five will be male and five will be female. They will be selected at random from the drivers on the road.

The experimenter will position himself behind other vehicles in the driving lane and note the exact speed that matches the speed of the other vehicle and will maintain that speed for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the experimenter will change lanes into the passing lane and begin to pass the other vehicle at a speed 5 mph greater than the measured constant speed. The experimenter will record both the amount of time necessary to fully execute the passing maneuver and also the final difference in speed that was necessary.

It is expected that once the experimenter's vehicle matches the vehicle to be passed, female drivers will maintain the same speed while the experimenter overtakes them and the time necessary to fully overtake them will be entirely dependent on the speed of the experimenter's vehicle relative to the original speed of the other vehicle.

It is anticipated that when the experimenter's vehicle begins to pass a vehicle driven by a male driver than the driver of the vehicle being overtaken will gradually speed up to match the speed of the passing vehicle so that the passing vehicle will have to substantially increase its speed to successfully overtake the vehicle being driven by a male driver. Hypothesis #2 Male drivers are more likely than female drivers to exhibit territoriality and aggressiveness in response to other drivers attempting to enter their exit lane.

Female drivers are more likely to exhibit consideration and moderation in the same circumstance and permit the other driver to enter their exit lane more easily. The independent variable is gender of the driver in the other vehicle and one dependent variable is whether or not the driver pulls forward to prevent the experimenter from entering the exit lane in front of the vehicle being passed. Another dependent variable is whether the gestures or expressions from the other driver are polite and accommodating or angry and defiant.

Experimental Design and Expected Outcome The experimenter will identify an exit lane from a highway where one exit lane requires drivers to merge from multiple lanes. To reduce other variables, the experimenter will use the same exit on the same highway for all trials in the experiment. The experimenter will not merge until almost reaching the point where the exit lane actually branches off the main highway near the point where a painted "island" absolutely requires a merge.

The experimenter will be holding a piece of paper in one hand and gesturing apologetically and in a shoulder shrug with raised hands so as to create the impression that he is unfamiliar with the area and did not mean to cut into the lane to be rude or to take advantage of the other driver. The experimenter will deliberately make eye contact with the other driver to indicate that he is asking for consideration.

The experimenter will record any gestures or verbal expressions of the other driver and will note whether or not the driver has allowed him to enter the passing lane or deliberately moved forward to prevent him from doing so. It is expected that male drivers will react angrily and will be less likely to permit the experimenter to merge into the exit lane in front of them.

It is also expected that male drivers will gesture and/or express themselves in a way that indicates that they do not appreciate and will not tolerate the late attempt at merging into the lane. It is expected that female drivers will respond more considerately by not pulling forward and that they will make considerate gestures indicating that they give permission to the experimenter to enter the exit lane in front of them.

Finally, it is also expected that the female drivers will not indicate irritation and that if they express themselves verbally it.