Can't female be drivers?????

The day before Onam I went to C.A.R.S India to get my car serviced. This time I decided won’t leave the car there and have things changed according to their wish. It was their business tactics to send a huge bill home. So gave the mechanic a list of things I wanted them to check. He barely gave attention to what I told. I wanted him to change the coolant and I told that thrice to get his attention to it. Then he gave me Pooh-these-lady-drivers kinda look. Sat there for 3 hours and finally they brought me a huge bill as usual. I asked about coolant once again and he told me he knows about cars much better than me. How cheeky. "Wait till something goes wrong, will take care of you then" I thought but mumbled a thanks and left. And to his bad luck and mine too; car’s air condition stopped working when I was returning back from Granny’s place. When I checked up the things found that the coolant was not changed. Just added up some amount of water and had to drive back home without A/C as it was too late to go and bang that idiot. Then again went yesterday to get coolant filled and made them repay the amount they charged me for the coolant in the previous bill. I asked for the particular mechanic, but he was on leave that day. The stars were in favor of him.

This is not the first time I find people getting uncomfortable because of women drivers. Whenever I overtake any bike riders, I find them immediately overtaking me as they find it too difficult to digest being overtaken by a female. Many times in the city especially in the crowded places like T.Nagar when it is difficult to find parking lots; when I try to park my car into a small gap, I find people especially drivers of other vehicles near by, give me a you-can’t-do-that effect.

Leave alone others. When I went to take driving license the person who inspects asked me whether I know to drive. Driving license is given for driving and if I am here for license then I should drive. Isn’t it???? Is driving a men’s-only job??? I never thought so. Then I don’t know why I get stares every time I enter into petrol bunk or drive through some crowded place in city. Many of my relatives do think the same. When I told them about Kerala trip in car half of them said NO. But then after that successful trip I gained their confidence. But it will take years to normal road users [read: Males] to get used to lady drivers whizzing away in car past them.

Comments

Shyamala said…
two days back i went to get my driving license... maybe u r a very good driver, but as far as most gals who drive (whom i know including myself) are not as good as the average male counterparts... i flinch when i drive at high speeds, whereas men hit the accelerator and are itching to speed at 40 or 50 all the time… as a female driver I’m cautious about getting close to pedestrians and slow down and give way when a lorry etc comes the opposite way in narrow roads… whereas men just yell at the other driver and expect them to give way instead…

maybe all those stares u get is because they are surprised at ur bold driving attitude… I don’t think the confidence and skill should be attributed to any gender, I guess our nature and way of reacting is different… i think our feminine driving style is not inferior, its just different...
Manoj said…
haha... so simple

they dont stare cos u r driving but it might be cos its Janani... :P

ok watver... i agree with u but still dont get carried away with gender obsession...

its jus d way society is working... u tend to be smarter than the opposite sex...

don't worry much about all guys u see on road (idhellam nalladhuku illa :P) and focus on being a "driver"...

ore thamasu thamasu...haha
Lijin said…
yea i think its correct. People especially men (most of them) are reacting the same way as you told. But this nature of the society is changing now. Will change in the future. sure and syamala’s opinion may be an another reason for their attention
golmaalgopal said…
hmmmm....as lijin said things are changing nowadays...it's natural 4 guys to get egoistic over their driving[even me for dat matter :)], that too wen a gal whizzes past them...seri seri unakke theriyum naa enna range ah otuvennu... :)
Syam said…
you were rite...innum konjam time edukalaam for males to tolerate females overtaking them...there are three reasons for this
1. illiteracy
2. ego
3. to get the attention

naan ithula 3rd category :-)
Syam said…
and your Kerala trip post made me nostalgic :-)
KC! said…
inga london-la andha problem-e illa, no one tries overtaking women drivers. Aana chennai apadidhan, agreed!
Janani said…
@shyamala
=>maybe all those stares u get is because they are surprised at ur bold driving attitude…<=
ada...iniku enna ellarum enna support panra mood le irukeenga.

@Manoj
Grrr...athaane...etho accept panitiyo nu parthen... Guys yaarum parkira madiri ille pa. Enn level ku ille ;)

@vishnupriya.k
poven de..Next time ponna avanai kooptu ketpen. as you said it is not always star is in his favor. At times it favors me too

@Lijin
Yeah... at first I thought it was coincidence.But then found out almost whole lot were doing the same.

@golmaalgopal
neenga soo mugger ache. Unga range ku vara mudiyuma. I don't know where ego comes in this case.

@Syam
annathe... Naan overtake pannurathum apd stylea side le oru look viduvanga.Ponnu thaan otara nu therinja udane epd thaan ego epd suddena thalai katumo nu theriyala.

Kerala trip post ku nostalgic?? Enna summer vacation nyabagam vanthucha ile India nyabagam vanthucha
[Only for Syam anna]
Neengale enn epd asingapaduthifying.

@Usha
Inga ithu mega problem.
=> no one tries overtaking women drivers.<= why??? avalo mosama anga otuvangala??? ille athukum ethavathu rule iruka.
Syam said…
//Kerala trip post ku nostalgic?? Enna summer vacation nyabagam vanthucha//

athu pathi seekiram post panna poren... :-)
Harish said…
Know what?I have seen male drivers overtake female drivers just-for-fun and i-am-not-less-than-you sake. Eppa thaan thirunduvaangalo :-)
Jayaprabhakar said…
Janani, what u say is partly true, not fully. Most of the things that u said is not just because u are a female, it is true with gents too.

Mechanic issue:
I asked about coolant once again and he told me he knows about cars much better than me.

The mechanic will reply the same way to guys too. Ask some of ur male friends. Unless we drivers speak to the mechanic as if we know everything, they will try to dominate. Ask ur father how the mechanic would have spoke to him when his two-wheelar was serviced...

Guys overtaking issue:
Whenever I overtake any bike riders, I find them immediately overtaking me as they find it too difficult to digest being overtaken by a female.
There are two kind of people who do this:
1: They do as they see a girl (not just because she is driving) to get her attention.
2: They wont allow any one else to overtake them. Even if a male driver overtakes, they will try to overtake again to gain a kind of satisfaction.
There may be a very few people who have any ego that a girl is driving well...

Car Parking issue:
when I try to park my car into a small gap, I find people especially drivers of other vehicles near by, give me a you-can’t-do-that effect.
Its not you-cant-do-that effect. It is just do-we-need-to-help-the-driver effect( whether it is he or she).

Kerala Trip:
When I told them about Kerala trip in car half of them said NO.
My parents also wont allow me to drive to such a long distance. They wont even allow me to go in a bus. They will say train will only be safe and comfortable for such a long distance. It was very difficult for me to convince my parents to allow me to go the Ind Visit to Coimbatore in bus. This is not that u cant drive, it is not-safe-concern.


Most of the concerns u raised is just a 'brammai'. I think u will understand that soon. I accept men try to suppress women, but not in the issues that u have witnessed. You were seeing everything with a male-basher eyes.
Janani said…
@Syam
Podunga podunga.. unga post ku thaan waiting

@Harish
appo neenga antha category le ille nu solla avreenga

btw thanks for visiting my blog. Can I blogroll U???

@Jayaprabhakar
Vanga annathe vanga..Correcta intha post podumba than unga presence thevai. Unga comment iruku nu partha udane thought it will be supporting your gender..he hee...
Jayaprabhakar said…
Janani,
ஒருவரை மீது குற்றம் சுமத்தினால் பரவாயில்லை, ஆனால் ஒரு இனத்தையே நீங்கள் குற்றவாளி கூண்டில் ஏற்றியுள்ளீர்கள், அவர்களின் கருத்தையும் கேட்க வேண்டும் அல்லவா?

நான் கூறியதில் தவறிருக்குமெனில் நீங்களே சோதித்து பார்கலாம். ஓட்டுனர் யார் என்று தெரியாதபடி, தங்களின் கார் கண்ணாடியை ஏற்றி விட்டு கொண்டு, ஒருவரை முந்தி செல்லுங்கள், அவர் மீண்டும் தங்களை முந்திச் செல்ல முயலுவார்.

இதில் ஆண் பெண் பேதம் எங்கிருந்து வந்ததென்று எனக்கு புரியவில்லை.

எனக்கு என்ன தோன்றுகிறது என்றால், ஒரு ஆண் தந்களை முந்தி சென்றால், அதை தாங்கும் பக்குவம் உங்களிடம் இல்லை என்று :)

When you have a right to over take a guy, why do you complain when he does the same?

No offence ;)
Janani said…
@Jayaprabhakar
neenga sonna car glasses policy vechutu thaan naan ithu sollaren. Naan overtake pannum bothu vituduvanga.Appuram sideglasses parthutu ponnu nu therinja thaan speeda otuvanga.

=>எனக்கு என்ன தோன்றுகிறது என்றால், ஒரு ஆண் தந்களை முந்தி சென்றால், அதை தாங்கும் பக்குவம் உங்களிடம் இல்லை என்று :)<= ithu ellam konjam overa theriyala.. Naan enna Schumacher a... Overtake panna romba feel panarathuku
PEACE

@golmaalgopal
Unn post ku appuram Schumacher original spelling suthama maranthu pochu..
Jayaprabhakar said…
அப்படி என்றால் ஓட்டுனர் ஒரு பெண் என்பதானால் அல்ல, காரிலே ஒரு பெண் இருக்கிறாள் என்பதற்காக இருக்கும், இரண்டிற்கும் வேறுபாடு உண்டு.

உங்களை முந்த நினைப்பவர் ஒரு வாலிபர் என்றால், இரண்டாம் காரணம் தான் சரியாக இருக்கும் என நான் நினைக்கிறேன். அவர் ஒரு 40/50 வயதுடையவர் என்றால், நீங்கள் கூறுவது உன்மையாக இருக்கலாம்.
Revathi said…
The overtaking thing used to happen to me when I was driving two-wheeler in Chennai. I used to give up and trail behind them, just to accelerate adn speed off ahead of them just before my turning comes.. Guys would sure be ahh missed it kind of --- But be careful !!

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