More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
I'll believe the globe is warming before I believe this, from MSNBC.com:
Covert surveillance of car parks across the United Kingdom shows that, while women may take longer to park, they are more adept than men at maneuvering into a parking space, and when they park they are more likely to leave their vehicles in the middle of a parking bay.
The month-long study, conducted by the U.K.’s National Car Parks, was carried out amongst 2,500 drivers and looked at various aspects of parking -- including technique, accuracy and time taken to park -- in order to produce a “parking coefficient” -- an overall score of how well a driver parks.
The overall score for women drivers was higher than for male drivers. Women also fared better when it came to finding empty spaces, were more accurate in lining themselves up before starting a parking maneuver, and were more likely to use a driving instructor’s favored method of reversing into a parking spot.
Simply not possible. Anecdotal evidence, collected over 45 years, proves otherwise. The full report is here, though I'm not going to bother to read it. I know the truth.
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May '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Charlotte
I understand, Mark. But Mr. Charlotte is simply incapable of deceit! I was actually interested to hear how he got out. I picture something like this. · 41 minutes ago
Edited 35 minutes ago
Does Mr. Charlotte have access to a forklift?
May '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Charlotte: Mr. Charlotte achieved this parking miracle recently (he was so pleased with himself that he posted it on Facebook). There is no way I could replicate this feat in a million years. · 4 hours ago
Go Mr. Charlotte! I am the Jedi Master of parallel parking. Daughter S learned to drive this summer and clearly has inherited my mad skillz. She was quite anxious, fearing inability to live up to my example. Husband S is not even close, driving- or parking-skills-wise. But shhhhh! Don't tell him.
May '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Congrats on the upcoming nuptials, Diane!
Like you and some of the other ladies here, I definitely surpass my husband in parallel parking skills and have a few examples like Mr. Charlotte's recorded (yes, I'm a geek). I don't attribute it to any sex-superiority, but rather to the fact that I grew up and learned to drive (and park) in NYC. My husband grew up in a residential neighborhood of Cleveland. In NYC, not being able to park decently means either driving around endlessly or paying a lot of money for a parking lot (there was one across the street from my building that charged over $500/month! My husband parked in a driveway or parking lot most of his life and never really had to develop parallel parking skills. He still does a decent job of it; I just do better!
Contrary to stereotypes, I also have a better sense of direction than he does and I love, love, LOVE the map function on my smartphone. Humbug on GPS, give me a map every time!
Um, Rob, how do you find your way place to place? Guys?
Oct '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
As one visits Austin frequently and favors a balcony room with a view of the city, usually the 14th floor. There has been a great opportunity to observe the parking skills of people from a perch far above the Hotel lot.
The gyrations one has witnessed of either male or female to simply place an auto in a straight in parking space is amazing. The efforts of the driver to place the beloved vehicle in exactly the desired position require between 3 and 8 attempts. Gender does not apply.
Ghastly stuff, just park at the far end of the lot an put the legs to work there.
Be happy to do study like that, would pay for spiffy room service to boot.
Edited on Jan 30 at 7:44pmRe: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
This is a bird's eye view of a truck stop parking lot. Look at the distance between trucks. Both guys and gals who have been at this for awhile, can back a 53 ft. trailer into the narrow spaces you see in this photo and put the rear tires on a dime if you wish. I haven't noticed that this particular skill resides in ladies more so than men. It's more of an experience and practice factor than anything else, and it took me years to master the skill and reach a decent level of comfort with the task.
Jan '11
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
I suppose Dave gets the last word.
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Actually, the last word is generally had by the other truckers in the parking lot, who talk all sorts of trash while another driver is attempting to park. They can be a pretty raucous bunch. When I first started in this job, I had to turn the CB off while trying to park. For the newbie driver, it can be pretty intimidating to back that beast at a 45 degree angle, with only inches to spare on either side, while the other drivers take bets on what kind of damage you'll likely cause. After awhile though, parking becomes fairly routine.
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Though I did have to parallel park on Park Ave. in New York City once. But that's a story for another day...
Oct '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Ever been to China Town in Frisco? There is a hill there that gives pause to anyone, cannot recall the name save it starts with an S.
Edited on Jan 30 at 8:42pmMay '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
When you drive more, you become more skilled. I noticed this, to my surprise, when I drove a delivery truck for a department store. I thought I was pretty good, but after driving all day long for several weeks, my driving became noticeably more skilled, including manouvering in heavy traffic. and backing up into VERY narrow spaces, and stopping within an inch of a loading dock while looking into a mirror at night.
May '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Once, while waiting for my wife in a station parking lot, I watched drivers try to line up at a ticket dispenser at the lot entrance. The maneuver required a fairly sharp turn and a stop near the ticket machine close enough so that you could reach out your window and take your ticket. Nine out of 10 women could not do it. About 30% of men could not.
Oct '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
"...while women may take longer to park..."
Then they're not better parkers! Duh.
If I can do something in one hour that someone else can do 80% as well in one minute, I'm not better than that person at that activity.
Who wrote that report? A woman? And how long did it take her??
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
wilber forge
Ever been to China Town in Frisco? There is a hill there that gives pause to anyone, cannot recall the name save it starts with an S. · 50 minutes ago
Edited 47 minutes ago
You're probably referring to Stockton Street, which runs through Chinatown in San Francisco. Parking in "the City" as it is known hereabouts becomes a nonevent after awhile. Some of the steepest hills do become a bit exciting for those luddites like me who insist on sticking with manual transmission automobiles (you wait and see, this automatic transmission thing just won't last).
I did drop a perfectly good motorcycle in an intersection at the top of a hill about 20 years ago. I should have thought that one through before taking a bike up that street.
Aug '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
I'd walk a mile not to have to do the necessary 17-point maneuver to get into that space, and do it again to get out.
Aug '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
As one who routinely parallel parks perfectly without moving his head, I can at least be confident that women can't park better than me.
May '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Caryn:
Contrary to stereotypes, I also have a better sense of direction than he does and I love, love, LOVE the map function on my smartphone. Humbug on GPS, give me a map every time!
I don't own a GPS, but I've considered buying one for years. Now, I'm thinking it would be better to buy an iPad or something similar. It's a much bigger screen and I could do a lot more with it.
Paper maps are useful but cumbersome and don't get automatic updates.
Nov '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
My dad could definitely do the Mr. Charlotte trick. He attributes his parking skills to learning to drive in a small mountain town in West Virginia, in the days when cars were large, transmissions were all manual, and (my observation) rear windows were small.
My New York City raised husband can get out of our driveway backward past cars staggered on both sides through diagonal spaces that even my father thinks can't possibly be gotten through. He can even get back first out of a parallel parking space, which ought not to be possible. But he always has little dings and scratches on his car, or the taillight knocked out, or something similar (always, he says, it must have happened in a parking lot when he wasn't in a car. Funny how it doesn't happen to me).
Me, I get right smack dab in the middle of any front-in parking space, on the first try. But parallel parking takes me a while, and I can't do a fraction of the Mr. Charlotte trick.
Which is to say that parking is a whole lot of different skills, and probably different people excel at different ones.
Edited on Jan 31 at 4:33amDec '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Dave Carter
This is a bird's eye view of a truck stop parking lot. Look at the distance between trucks. Both guys and gals who have been at this for awhile, can back a 53 ft. trailer into the narrow spaces you see in this photo and put the rear tires on a dime if you wish. I haven't noticed that this particular skill resides in ladies more so than men. It's more of an experience and practice factor than anything else, and it took me years to master the skill and reach a decent level of comfort with the task. · 8 hours ago
Not impressed Dave. I work in the Trans industry (in the tech sphere of it now) and one of my early jobs was supervising the dispatch office of a retailer's fleet. We had guys that could back up doubles and triples straight. Ever try that?
Dec '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Caryn: Contrary to stereotypes, I also have a better sense of direction than he does and I love, love, LOVE the map function on my smartphone. Humbug on GPS, give me a map every time!
Um, Rob, how do you find your way place to place? Guys? · 9 hours ago
Caryn, here's a question for you. When you give someone directions, how do you do it? Do you say "go North on 112th to Main then turn West", or do you say "follow 112th to main and turn left" or is it "follow that road and turn left at the intersection with the Taco Bell"? My wife tends to the latter - relying on landmarks. When I give directions, I'm visualizing a map and trying to lay it out for the person. Just curious.
Oct '10
Re: More Junk Science: Study Shows Women Better at Parking than Men
Contrary to stereotypes, I also have a better sense of direction than he does and I love, love, LOVE the map function on my smartphone. Humbug on GPS, give me a map every time!
Um, Rob, how do you find your way place to place? Guys? · 10 hours ago
Maps? Guys don't need no stinking maps!