| Diary of a Neurotic | ||||||
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May 22, 2003 Since professing new ability to write like “Bridget Jones” been facing extreme difficulty finding anything interesting to report. Read an article ridiculing women drivers felt extremely enraged at the sweeping generalized comments and lame jokes. Article made me realize all the things I hate about men, including their chauvinistic pig like behavior. Made a vow to answer the article with proper facts and statistics. Facing distressing writers block and so far came up with this: This is with reference to “Of women drivers” by Khurram Afzal Malik my initial reaction after reading the so-called well researched article was to call it yet another male-chauvinistic approach to everyday issues. But that would put me in the same narrow minded, sweeping generalist opinions of Mr. Khurram and his fellow kind. Since his article was supported by corny jokes, interviews with ONE traffic police man and an aunt I will support mine with reliable statistics. According to the accidents data collected by the Traffic Engineering Bureau through its now computerized Accident Database System, the detailed analysis of reported road accidents in the city shows that in the year 2000 there were 1089 road accidents of which 558 (51%) were fatal resulting in 1438 casualties with 590 (59%) deaths. Of a total of 364 drivers who died, 206 were motorcycle/scooter drivers. The same year, motorcycles/scooters were involved in the highest number of accidents with 275 casualties including 105 deaths. Compared to 1999, the involvement of motorcycles/ scooters in road accidents had increased by about 30%. The total number of car and van accidents caused by MEN according to AGE in 2001 are given below: Age 15 to 29 : 64.6%, Age 30 to 59 : 56.8, Age 60 Years : 58.0 Total 11667 : 59.2% The other cause of major road accidents is due to excessive use of mobile phones while driving, the law does not provide any punishment or restriction on the use of the cellular phones by the drivers on the road. Maybe Mr. Khurram should call up insurance companies who will inform him that statistics have shown that male drivers under 25 years pose a greater risk of getting involved in an accident than a female of the same age and therefore generally pay more for their insurance premiums. What we got from Mr. Khurram was form not substance, lame jokes and not facts. The only thing I agree on is the issue of road accidents, which has been plaguing us for decades. We know that drunk driving is also a major cause of accidents, motorcyclists are a particular hazard (both to themselves and to others, especially when they are helmet-less and unlicensed), driving education is a farce, and traffic laws are mainly observed in the breach. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to see which gender is at fault and what the statistics indicate. (11:14 PM) ~`~
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