Are women bad drivers or is it just a stereotype?

In Lebanon, a driver makes a mistake, someone notices that she is a woman, and the familiar verdict follows: “Women cannot drive.” The stereotype appears in everyday conversations, jokes and arguments on the road. But is it supported by evidence, or do personal experiences shape how people judge women behind the wheel?

To find out whether the stereotype holds up, The Beiruter asked five people a simple question: are men really better drivers, or have we simply learned to believe they are? Their answers reveal how personal experiences, social expectations and research shape our perception of whether women are actually worse drivers.

The stereotype behind the steering wheel

“Every time I see someone driving wrong, it turns out to be a woman,” says Naya, who believes men generally drive better. She also feels that women are sometimes less willing to let other drivers pass, while men tend to be more accommodating. Still, she acknowledges that these observations cannot apply to everyone.

Sally shares some of Naya’s concerns, arguing that some women become distracted easily and drive slowly, which can create tension when other motorists are speeding.

But are these impressions reflected in the evidence? A 2025 driving-simulator study of 100 drivers in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, found that gender did not independently predict crash risk. Women reacted slightly more slowly and committed more stop-sign violations, while men made more than twice as many sudden lane changes and had slightly more crashes.

The findings challenge the blanket assumption that women are worse drivers, although they do not establish how people drive in Lebanon.  The study does not mean that men and women drive in exactly the same way. It does, however, show why individual experiences cannot tell the whole story.

Is it gender or experience?

For Georges, the difference comes down largely to experience. He believes men often start driving at a younger age because of their interest in cars and greater exposure to driving. He also suggests that boys and girls may be taught differently, as parents tend to be more protective of their daughters and may give them fewer opportunities to practice independently. As a result, men may gain more time behind the wheel from an earlier age, while women may have to build their confidence and experience later.

Anthony is more reluctant to draw conclusions. “I am against stereotypes,” he says, arguing that data is necessary to determine whether one gender drives better. He also points out that men can drive poorly, particularly when they drive too fast.

Research offers some context for his concern. The ESRA3 survey, which questioned road users in 39 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Oceania, found that men reported risky behaviors more often than women, including higher frequencies of speeding across different types of roads. Women, meanwhile, showed greater risk perception and stronger support for road-safety measures. The results point to differences in driving behavior, but they are self-reported and cannot establish a universal rule about either gender.

The numbers tell a different story

Serge believes the stereotype may be partly based on reality, but he distinguishes between minor collisions and more serious crashes. He suggests that women may sometimes become distracted, while men’s confidence behind the wheel can encourage risk-taking.

International figures provide a useful perspective on the latter point. According to the US-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, men typically drive more miles and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as speeding and driving under the influence. Its latest figures, released in 2026, recorded 28,385 male and 10,764 female motor-vehicle crash deaths in the United States in 2024, and speeding was a factor for 20% of male drivers killed in crashes, compared with 12% of female drivers. These figures concern a particular country and do not measure the driving ability of every individual.  

These figures do not mean that women are always safer drivers, nor do they prove Serge’s observation that women are more involved in minor collisions.They challenge the assumption that women are necessarily more dangerous behind the wheel. While women’s driving mistakes may attract attention and reinforce familiar stereotypes, the wider picture of road safety requires looking beyond individual incidents to the behaviors that contribute to crashes.

What makes someone a good driver?

Driving safely depends on far more than gender. Experience, attention, training, speed, road conditions and split-second decisions all play a part. The slow driver holding up traffic may be frustrating, but not necessarily dangerous, while the confident one weaving between lanes may be taking risks nobody notices until it is too late.

For many women in Lebanon, the stereotype is more than a passing joke. A moment of hesitation at a roundabout or a careful manoeuvre can quickly be taken as proof, while the same mistake by a man often goes unnoticed. Yet women drive across the country every day, to work, to university and on family errands, facing the same crowded roads, potholes and unpredictable traffic as everyone else.

So the next time a driver makes a mistake on a Lebanese road, the question should not be “Is it a woman?” but “Was that person paying attention?” A good driver is defined not by gender, but by focus, skill and responsibility behind the wheel.