El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-05-23
CAN 4 WOMEN
DRIVE A CAR As
WELL As A MAN?
Women Drivers, 1900 Strong
in California, Declare
They Are Experts.

"AN a woman drive an automobile
as well as a man. With the rapid
increase in the number Of women
drivers this question has become the
basis of much discussion among auto
mobiIists.
Women drivers say they can. And
the men motorists usually agree with
them There are in Los Angeles, Stand
ish L Mitchell secretary Of the Auto
mobile club Of Southern California, es-
Inmates, 1900 women drivers. And their
percentage Of accidents. if that be taken
as guide, is no greater than that Of
the men.
Temperament has all TO do with a
womans ability TO drive an automo-
bile" declares secretary Mitchell If
a woman temperamentally is qualified
10 handle car she usually is a better
driver than the average man But
woman, as a rule. is not suited tenn
peramentally for the demands Of good
driving.
There are In Los Angeles some Of
the best women drivers in the world
They handle the cars adrOitly in traf-
fic and keep their tempers at all times.
That is the big point But there are
others who do not make safe drivers"
fastening 10 the defence OF the wum-
an driver is AIRS. RoOnie r. Jaffa, the
playwright. who Is an expert at the
wheel although one Of the newer re
cTUlts to the motor ranks.
Intuition As Aid.
Woman has in her makeup one quail
lty which makes her natural driver"
she says That is intuition. She may
not be mechanical expert and be able
to save the engine, but she viii avoid
trouble through intuition where a man
would go into it blindly.
4 find driving easy But. Of course,
my experience may be different from
that of many women. NJ husband
brought home a Buick roadster one
night and the second day afterWard
drove il through traffic down town.
found it so easy TO control that / had
no trouble whatsoever. The many
stories that I had heard made me some
what dubious about being able to mas
ter car. But II was all so easy that I
found no trouble whatsoever.
I know women who, I think would
never make good drivers But they are
in the minority ] would say that nine
out Of ten Of my women acquaintance
would learn TO handle my roadster as
quickly as / did
The first qualification is a steady
nerve Then one must think quickly and /
clearly But a wOman's mind is IS
nimble, probably more so. than mans.
It's the same story In every phase Of ]
life Woman has proved herself equal
TO man mentally, and il woulC be alb /
surd TO say that they would meet their
ueLedL III lie present DAY automobile I
Observe Rules.
And now the police are called in /
Lieut.. j. L Butler. in charge Of the Los !
Angeles traffic squad, SAYS that women /
are not so likely TO violate the speed /
as the men.
The reports / have received from my
officers show that the woman driver OBJ
serves the traffic rules as well as the 4
men, said the lieutenant I'VE receive
the most complaints regarding the
elderly women They don't always OBJ
serve the crossing signals or take the |
proper precautions in turning their 1
cars about in the street.
But as a rule. the woman at the !
wheel IS just as careful as the man /
have seen some very expert driving on |
the part Of women in the traffic I
would say that in mental equipment the
is as capable Of being a good |