WOMEN AT THE WHEEL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 598, 1 August 1933, Page 3

WOMEN AT THE WHEEL

DRIVING NO LONGER THE PRERCGATiVE OF MALE SEX One of the outstanding features of motoiing in 1933 is the increasing proportion of women drivers. At the week-end one may be forgiven for imagining that every other private car is handled by a woman, while miu-week there are definitely more women than men at the wheel. In spite of the opinions of a few masculine drivers, there is really no , reason why driving a car should be the prerogative of the male sex. It is even demode to raise an eyebrow in surprise when we see a girl still , in her 'teens handling a large car or at the wheel of a sports type competing in trials. Those who fulminate this incuision of the fair sex are very ■ much like the retired Indian colon- . ial who was for ever declaiming "Egad, the country's going to the dogs!" Nobody minds, and, anyw'ay, there are quite a lot of men who have not the least objection to being driven by a woman. Nevertheless, women drivers, as a class, are disliked by some people, . usually because of the faults and foibles of a few. A correspondent in "The Motor". recently gave one reason prompted by his wife, and we have often noted that ,whatever the male driver's opinion of woman drivers be, his feminine passengers are even more resentful. Another cause for antipathy towards women motorists is those little incidents like the one that came to light at thc Devon police court the other aay, when a young lady was cliarged with driving without a license explained that she had merely taken her fiance's car on the impulse of the mo.nent, because she was angry with hira. Only a woman would do a thing like that, say those who are still opposed to the emasculation of motoring Perhaps they are right.