A headline like that begs a lengthy disclaimer. First off, I don’t hate women–I’m no misogynist. In the words of David Brent, “How can I hate women, my Mum’s one.” Stereotypes applied to a single person can lead to bad things. I’m not singling out any particular female I know, I’m just saying that women as a broad category are worse drivers than men as a broad category. Stripped of all the underlying subtexts and nasty implications, it’s a fact.
As to why this is true is another, more interesting question. I really hadn’t given it much thought until the other day when I was driving home from work and got cut off by a woman in one lane and then nearly rammed into another who was going about 15 mph under the speed limit in the next lane. What is it about women that makes them such bad drivers? I came up with three answers:

• Women make up the “fair” sex. They are taught, or are naturally predisposed, to be more passive and deferential than men. While these personality traits help in some aspects of life, they don’t help at 80 miles per hour. Especially when the woman in the merge lane is doing 50 and slowing down. A good driver is an assertive driver. He (or she) sees that the other drivers are going much faster and that he’ll have to eventually be going the same speed, so he speeds up accordingly. Women are naturally inclined to slow down and let the others pass, but that kind of thinking is obviously at odds with the end goal of getting into the faster lane. It must be noted that there is a difference between assertive drivers (good) and aggressive drivers (bad). Males do tend to be more aggressive drivers than women, but I don’t think there are nearly as many or that they pose quite the same risk as do passive women drivers.
• Women are communicators. Their personal relationships with other women rely a great deal on verbal communication. As such they’re more likely to be on the phone while driving their cars. I’m sure I don’t need to mention the numerous conclusive studies showing that phone conversations and driving don’t mix. I could also point to the numerous other things I’ve seen women doing while driving (applying makeup, brushing hair) but these are easily offset by the stupid things guys attempt at the wheel (crossword puzzles, removing wedgies, rifling through bags, picking noses).
• Women are less likely to grow up playing sports. As a general rule, athletics aren’t stressed as much for women as for they are for men. And this, I think, is the biggest difference. It is very easy to make a distinction between someone who spent long hours as a child learning a sport and someone who did not. Two key differences also apply when driving a car: spatial awareness and decision making. Sports heighten one’s sense of his surroundings. In team sports like basketball and football you have to constantly update your assessment of where other players are in relation to the ball and yourself. In individual sports like tennis you have to pay attention to your bodily momentum, the spin of the ball, and the angle of the shot. (I’d probably make an exception for track and field sports–they tend to rely more on superior training and genetic makeup than anything else and aren’t relevant to my argument.) Spatial awareness is also important when driving a car. At any given moment you have to be thinking about where the other cars are situated on the road and where they’re likely to be when you decide to switch lanes or hang a U-turn. Being able to anticipate where other cars will move makes for safe driving.
  Split-second decisions are a second hallmark of most competitive sports (again excepting track and field). Being able to make a decision quickly comes in handy when you crest a hill going 50 and find a pedestrian casually waltzing across the center line right in front of you. I think that playing sports as a child helps to fine tune the senses, and it’s just common sense that practice makes perfect.

While it would be easy to dismiss the above statements as sexist hogwash, I think that there is an element of truth to each. And although women and men are on more equal footing than ever before, societal norms still create enough differences to support my arguments. That being said, I don’t really want anyone to accept them at face value…I really enjoy a good argument. What I don’t enjoy is a punch in the face or a kick in the crotch. So if you’re angered by my remarks, at least give me the courtesy of a fair warning.