FLASHBACK TO 1919: Women Drivers Worse Than Men, Some Coppers Vary

November 17, 2024

A regular feature looking back at what was being printed around 100 years ago in the Bristol Daily Courier. This week’s entry comes from the November 24, 1919 edition of the newspaper.

Women Drivers Worse Than Men, Some Coppers Vary

Bristol authorities here do not agree with the statement made at a recent conference on traffic problems of the cities when it was declared by several speakers that women are better automobile drivers than men.

So far, as the police are concerned, they are about equally divided in the opinion. Some of the members of the force claim that women are the most reckless drivers while there are others who argue that women will take more chances but they do so in ignorance of the possibility of accident, which might result from their recklessness.

Chief Sackville claims that his department has had very little trouble with women drivers of automobiles here. Only one or two have fallen into the hands of police charged with reckless driving. One of these crashed into a post and this convinced her that she must hereafter exercise more judgement in driving her machine. However, previous to this, she had been halted by Officer Hunter who blew his whistle one night and took her into custody on Mill Street when she was racing her machine along without lights and in utter disregard to traffic rules.

Samuel A. Patton, chief of the Harriman Police Department, the other day when discussing the subject, claimed that in his opinion women were far more reckless than men. He cited an incident the other day while enroute to Doylestown. Chief Patton stated that a big Marmon touring car dashed by at a terrific speed. He looked to see the chauffeur and just got a glimpse of a nice looking young girl behind the wheel. She was literally “burning up” the road with her speed and occupied the most of the road.

Officer George Whildey is of the same opinion as his chief and Mr. Patton.

Officer Herman thinks that women take more chances but that it is ignorance which causes them to do so. He says they take chances not realizing the danger they place themselves in.

Officer Dahlke says that he never had much trouble with women drivers and, in his opinion, they are not any worse than the men. Other Dahlke always has an eagle eye out for automobile violators but has never arrested a women.

Some of the women themselves who drive cars have been asked for an expression of opinion and they indignantly deny that members of the their sex are any worse violators of the traffic rules than men. They argue that today there are a large number of women driving automobiles here in Bristol but that the police records fail to show where but one or two have been arrested for violations of the rules and that but a very few have ever been the cause of accidents.

The men come right back on this point and argue that the reason the women do not fall into the hands of the police is because the officers show them all possible courtesy and wink at many a violation for which they would arrest a man.

Two advertisements from the November 24, 1919 edition of the Bristol Daily Courier: