I suspect that shifting demographics, and cell-phone usage are tilting the stats toward a more equal representation between the sexes. Ditzoids gabbing on cell phones are oblivious to their surroundings whether they're male or female. Here in Calgary, drivers have little training, and way too much aggressiveness. I've seen pyrotechnic displays of road-rage unleashed by both men and women. Couple that with a collection of the worst-designed interchanges in North America, and a lot of Calgarians are introducing themselves to each other as they exchange insurance info. I hear things are deteriorating everywhere, but its scary to compare Calgary today with Ottawa as it was when I left in 2000.

{rant}
I usually listen to the radio when I drive to and from work each day. In Ottawa (admittedly 6 years ago), it was quite common to hear the traffic reporter congratulating drivers on another accident-free rush hour commute. I have never heard that here in Calgary! More typical is a long list of collisions and the related traffic jams. Its just wrong.

Driving involves a lot of different skills, but the important stuff is mental. Planning & Courtesy. If drivers plan ahead, they can avoid making the kind of frantic last-second maneuvers that cause a lot of crashes. And simple courtesy goes a long way to promoting smooth traffic flow. Drivers of both sexes are coming up short on both counts these days.

{/rant}

Thanks for letting me vent.