A thought struck me as my fiancé drove us home after a grocery shop: This is the first time in a long time where I’ve been consistently driven around by woman. I don’t mean this in any chauvinistic or sexist way. So, put your pitchforks and torches away, ladies.

To be fair, when we first started dating Tiffany was the only one with a car. Needless to say, she did most of the commuting from Kailua to Palolo to see me and drove us around town most of the time. However, after we moved in together and I bought a car of my own, I became the designated. There were the odd instances were I ask Tiff to drive because I was tired or just wanted to sit and fiddle with my phone; but for the most part, I am the driver in the family.

In fact, I usually prefer to drive. It’s that feeling of control. being able to turn the wheel and honk the horn at your own leisure is a powerful thing after spending any amount of time sitting in the passenger seat.

Is this a masculine thing or a power thing?

When I tried to find some information on the subject, an unintentional controversy came up that I was not anticipating – are men better drivers than women? Because I have no opinion and don’t want to start a fight … at least a big one, I’m not going to weigh in on that issue (besides, stats point to men as being worse drivers). But is driving a man’s duty?

According to a recent study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, despite there being more men than woman in the U.S., there are more licensed women drivers on the road than men. Cool!

There was a time when it was the guy who drove in any situation, but, that was when Ford’s Model T dominated the roads. Ever since then, women have been closing the gap up to this point in time. Thanks to civil rights, the popularization of cars in this country and so many other great social trials throughout the last century, woman are currently the drivers of society. I’m tickled by that. I dig it.

So, to answer my earlier question, no. I’m not less of a man because I’m being driven around. I’m just a normal guy. I’m just feeling power or control withdrawals because I’m not the driver.

I guess this just means I get to enjoy the ride, literally, for the next couple of weeks.

Later days,
Matt