Flee if its lady driven
It has become common manipulation of the pocket and mind to orchestrate ‘lady-driven’ on adverts as a means to woo buyers, particularly for motor vehicles sales. Usually, the lady-driven connotation comes at the end of a rosy picture of a vehicle’s immaculate condition, more like icing on a beautiful cake. For some reason, women are portrayed as the gentle and careful drivers with minimal or no record of serious accidents or abuse to the road and car. I don’t know whether there is research to back this theory, but I have found women to be the worst in terms of vehicle maintenance. For them, as long as a vehicle starts in the morning and when they need it to take them places, that is all the knowledge they will need about motor vehicles.
I have also discovered that most women will not care to check for simple attributes such oil or water levels, battery water residues at terminals, cleanliness of an engine, servicing, idling sounds or the condition of wipers. For them, eyes are glued on the road, hands tightly gripping the steering wheel with a few glances at the fuel gauge. Yes, they may be as irritatingly slow as a tortoise on the road or brake at every intersection or sight of an oncoming vehicle, in the name of carefulness, but does that qualify them as good vehicle caregivers? What makes a good driver or careful road user? Is it the slow one, who turns the steering wheel as if it was an egg, carefully leading it towards a direction with several unnecessary motions or the one who takes a turn with one huge shift of the wheel in total control of the motor car having checked the basics?
It has become common sight to find women stranded on the roadside, bonnet agape over a simple mechanical mishap such as overheating. Many would have no clue how to rectify it and if help failed to arise, they would spend a night by the road side over this ‘breakdown’. Tyre changing is as farfetched as democracy in Africa. They always wait for the men, the very reckless drivers to do the needful in case of a puncture. Where I’m I going with all this? Basic knowledge goes a long way in securing calamities and qualifying as good.
Trust me; women’s vulnerability does not apply in as far as manipulation of buyers should go. They may drive a spotless car, but sometimes the dented one driven by a man may serve as a better deal. The lady driven aspect should not fool anybody. Vehicles should mainly be about the engine, with the exterior immaculacy being secondary. We should stop promoting mediocrity by advancing theories with little or no backing at all. If it is based on the simplicity of drunkenness, well, we need to go back to the drawing board. Yes, it is a fact men form the majority of drunks, but does that make them reckless all the time? Are there no women drinkers who imbibe and still pull through without accidents? Are all road accidents alcohol oriented?
My humble submission; care and carelessness differ between individuals regardless of gender. Sell the vehicle as is, not by virtue of the driver’s sex. The brutal truth just might surprise you. n
