Why should Women learn Driving?

Driving for a long time, mostly in India, has been considered a man’s job. It has always been the norm for “the man of the house” to drive the car. And, if that man has a son, he imparts his driving knowledge to him, irrespective of his daughter. For them, girls are not really worthy to operate such heavy machinery. How many times have you girls heard statements such as women can’t drive, women are bad drivers? Too often, right! And, this statement has been echoed not only by men but by some women too. Obviously, not all men share the same regressive thinking.

Changing times and the wave of feminism brought forth the opportunity for women to drive. Gone are the days when girls were prohibited to do many things including driving. Now you can see many girls and women driving not only personally but also professionally. We have come a long way in giving women equal opportunities as men.

But, still, women have to go through a lot of scrutiny and naysayers. Even after women have proved that they can drive the same as men, there are highly judged by other male drivers, especially if they make any mistakes. They judge every woman’s driving based on one woman’s mistake. It is not like we women judge every man’s driving skill based on one man’s mistake.

So, the question arises as to why we women should learn to drive. Why should we put the effort into learning to do something, for which we will be judged at every step? After all, we can just wait for our coveted chariot to arrive. Where is the fun in taking on one more big responsibility? Is it fun steering the wheel, pedalling the breaks, accelerator, and controlling the gears? Yes, it is. And let me tell you why?

1.    It gives you more independence.

Most of the time women rely on others, especially the males in their life if they want to go somewhere. Or they use public transport to travel. Well, public transport is fine if you are travelling a short distance. However, if you want to go somewhere far then you are at the mercy of the ones that know how to drive. So, if you know how to drive then you are not relying on anyone. You can go anytime you want, wherever you want, and that too without asking anyone. And, gaining independence by driving is a monumental experience. So, go out there and accelerate towards your independence.

2.    Driving increases your confidence

While driving the control of the car is completely in your hands. You are the one who decides the speed, how much to steer, when to brake and more. And it’s a rule of the thumb if you want to drive a car do it with confidence.  So, when you sit behind a wheel sit with all your confidence. It is given that initially you obviously will not have the required confidence and will feel nervous. You’ll gain that confidence gradually as you’ll continue to learn to drive. But once you get to learn all the mechanisms of driving the confidence comes naturally. The best part is that this confidence will carry over into your other aspects of life.

3.    Driving allows you to save your time

How often does this happen to you that whenever you have to go somewhere most of the time is wasted on travel? I guess quite often. When you are dependent on others for your travel needs, many factors are out of your hand. It can be that the public transport you have taken is making many stops, thus, you are getting late. If someone else is driving you, you will travel according to their schedule. Maybe their schedule does not suit you.

But you when drive you travel on your own time. You shave off a few minutes or hours when you drive yourself. You can finally get ready for the office with plenty of time at your disposal. Driving not only saves your time but also makes you own your time. Basically, it means if you want to make a certain stop while travelling you can. If you want that coffee, you have been craving for a long time before going to work, now you can. Want to meet a friend at an ungodly hour, well this is here where your new life skill will come in handy.

4.    Driving opens up more opportunities for travel

Women with their overwhelming duties and schedules are in desperate need of a breather. But it is easier said than done. It can be quite challenging to plan a trip if you don’t have your own set of wheels. And, being able to drive will inch you closer to that road trip you want. With driving you can have those spur of the moment road trips you see men going on these road trips, making memories, catching a break. Plus being a driver leads us to a more adventurous and active lifestyle. Weekend getaway, long drives at night, food trips, or a drive just to clear your head. You name it and we can do that whenever we want and travel as far as the car can take us.

5.    It can be useful in case of emergencies

Driving is a skill that you cannot put up on your resume and CV, rather it is a lifelong skill. A skill that can come in handy in case of emergencies. Like if a family member needs medical attention, you can rush them to the hospital without wasting any time. You and your friends are at a party and they got drunk, and you being a good friend want them to get home safely. In this situation, you can be the designated driver.

It can also be useful in case women ran out of feminine products like sanitary napkins, and tampons. They can just drive out and get them and not rely on anyone else to get them.

6.    Driving can be a way to venture into other career options

There are many career options today that require driving skills. If you want to be a delivery person, a taxi driver, a bus driver or an uber driver, every one of these jobs needs you to be able to drive. I know these jobs are male dominated and you hardly see any women in these jobs. But there have been some brave women who have broken the stereotypes, the stigma, the ceiling, basically, everything that can be broken and have ventured into these areas. But the gender disparity in this field is very high. And it is because women have been conditioned to not even think of driving as a viable career option. Maybe these women joining the ranks among the men can be an inspiration to other women to take up the job in this field.

All said and done I do believe that learning to drive should be women’s choice. It is perfectly fine if a woman chooses to drive and it is perfectly fine if a woman chooses not to drive. But if you are tired of depending on others to drive you to places and exhausted from taking public transportation then you should definitely learn how to drive even if you are in your late 30s or 40s or 50s. Age should never be a barrier to learning something useful. So, ladies go out there accelerate your life and taste that freedom one drive at a time.

References: 

https://www.autodeal.com.ph/articles/car-features/8-reasons-why-girls-want-drive