Now, women to drive Kerala govt vehicles!

Now, women to drive Kerala govt vehicles! 

Maha Media 22 August 2019

Breaking an old glass barrier, Kerala government on Wednesday decided to appoint women as drivers in government departments and public sector undertakings. Till now, the posts of drivers were reserved for men only. The decision, first of its kind in India, was taken in the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.  This has been done based on the government's policy of following gender neutrality in all sectors.
No doubt, the decision of Kerala government is commendable. Who are better drivers -men or women? It may be a topic of another debate. But fact is that women have proved that they are equally competent in many fields or professions which have been dominated by men since decades.  Be it job of army, police, driving a taxi or cabs etc., Women are always there. Many young women are taking jobs of cab or taxi drivers in big cities and discharging their duties successfully. And this is the reason more and more women are applying for driving licenses.
According a RTO survey report, 1.6 lakh persons applied for driving licenses at 4 city RTO in 2017 out of which 55,000 were women. Most of these women had also passed the tests with 70% getting over 80% marks. Women drivers are also applying for auto-rickshaw license and there are currently 200 women drivers in pink uniform ply rickshaw in Mumbai.
Research reveals that women tend to break fewer traffic laws than men. Also, as per statistics collected the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, fewer women than men are responsible for road accidents. Whereas majority of men drivers are involved in offences like over-taking, over-speeding, driving under influence of alcohol, failure to yield and stop sign/signal violations and reckless driving.

No, doubt, there are certain things that men do better than women and vice versa. There are some practices that women tend to follow which makes them the safer drivers on the road. According to a research, women drivers exceed speed limits 12% less than the male drivers. Also, women drivers tend to practice hard braking 11% less than men.  Women drivers generally do not tend to over speed. Most women drive at a speed that is manageable and at the same time steady as well. Women are more cautious than men usually which helps them abide by traffic rules. They also tend to always wear seatbelts while driving.

Researches around the world have also shown that women tend to have a longer attention span than men. The reason for many accidents can be attributed to the lack of attention given by the driver to the road.
Therefore, we must appreciate the Kerala government’s decision to appoint women as drivers in government and public sector undertakings. 

For Maha Media

Prabhakar Purandare