Although women have been statistically proven to be safer drivers than men and use significant criteria such as fuel economy and safety when purchasing a car, there are  aspects of car ownership that drive them crazy.

A woman feels more stress when driving her car with her husband riding along side in the passenger seat. A research poll conducted by Allianz Insurance demonstrates that drivers of either sex feel four times more anxious when their partner is in the car. "Having their 'significant other' in the car alongside them makes drivers feel twice as rushed which reduces the chance of them feeling calm and relaxed by nearly 65%," the car insurance company says.

More than 43% of men say they feel relaxed with their other half in the car, compared to only 32% of women. Perhaps those romantic road trips are not so romantic after all!

Three female drivers explain what turns them off the most:

Anna, 26 says, "He doesn't say a word, but will gasp and pretend to break with his foot when he thinks I'm going too fast. It makes me want to crash on purpose!"

Victoria, 31 says, "He shouts at me when I don't know the directions then refuses to tell me them, and he accuses me of overusing the clutch!"

Rose, 27 says, "I went out with this guy who was so patronizing about my driving it was like sitting next to an instructor. 'Slow down on the bend, watch out for that cyclist...' Yes, I do know how to drive, thanks."

But there is more…here are 19 things about cars and driving that women can't stand.

19 Dealers Who Don't Take Them Seriously

Most women are superb buyers. Time permitting, they could spend weeks just shopping, trying on hundreds of clothing articles and purchase nothing. Women can wander through shops for hours and resist sales that don’t offer just what they want. When they do find the right dress or pair of shoes, they achieve a huge sense of satisfaction by showing off their new garments to friends and family.

However, for many women, shopping for a car is anything but satisfying. Often, pushy salespeople are responsible for the distasteful experience. One female car buyer summarized her venture at car dealerships, “While the Nissan dealer was a phony and borderline sleaze, the Mercedes dealer was utterly dismissive and only attentive to my husband.”

Women want to be treated well and taken seriously at a car dealership. They want a fair price, and when the final vehicle selection is made, they want to feel as if they made the right decision.

An Accenture survey of 10,000 people in the U.S. and other countries showed that nearly 75% said they would prefer conducting the entire car-buying process online, from price negotiation to delivery. Given the opportunity, most women would do the same to avoid direct contact with a dealership.

18 Washing the Car

A bikini-clad woman who sprays water everywhere and uses her entire body to scrub and clean the front windshield may be the image that comes to mind when someone asks if women like to wash cars.

However, bikini car washes are rare activates held as fundraisers that benefit schools, youth organizations, and charities, or for promotional events like the Hooters restaurant summer carwash. The more traditional do-it-yourself car cleaning takes place on a Saturday morning at home on the front driveway. The ritual has long been the domain of men.

Most women prefer their cars washed by someone else. Almost 60% of professional car wash customers are women.

Both men and women recognize the convenience and benefits of a professional carwash. The process takes less time, helps promote a positive self-image and has less effect on the environment. Studies show that home car washing declined from 47.6% in 1996 to 28.4% in 2014.

Mark Thorsby, executive director of the International Carwash Association says, "Aside from the satisfaction professional car washes provide from an image perspective…many of us forget that professional washes and details actually save us money in the long run by protecting the investment we've made in our cars. In addition, they are much better for the environment than at-home washes, which can use twice as much water and pollute local lakes, rivers, and streams."

17 A Car Full of Bumper Stickers

Women do not make up an exclusive group that dislikes bumper stickers.

Standup comedian Demetri Martin once commented, "A lot of people don't like bumper stickers. I don't mind bumper stickers. To me, a bumper sticker is a shortcut. It's like a little sign that says, “Hey, let's never hang out.”

While bumper stickers allow some car owners to share their humor, successes, and allegiances, every bumper sticker agitates someone. A study has shown that two kinds of bumper stickers project an obnoxious, ignorant, and aggressive nature on the part of the driver to fellow motorists: the confederate flag (34 percent) and a presidential election sticker (28 percent).

Furthermore, studies by Psychologist William Szlemko at Colorado State University demonstrate that a dramatic increase in road rage incidents in recent years, in the form of aggressive driving, speeding, and tailgating or confrontations with other motorists, is related to cars with numerous bumper stickers.

“The number of territory markers predicted road rage better than vehicle value, condition or any of the things that we normally associate with aggressive driving,” says Szlemko. What's more, only the number of bumper stickers, and not their content, predicted road rage — so "Jesus saves" may be just as worrying to fellow drivers as "Don't mess with Texas."

16 A Car Covered in Rust

“If the rust is skin deep, that’s a used vehicle you can keep. But if it affects the frame, that can be a recipe for pain, “claimed Charles Krome.

A rusty car is a certain turn-off for any woman. The appearance alone is enough to dissuade her from going anywhere in it, especially where she can be seen by her friends, family, or even strangers.

However, rust can be much more serious than a mere cosmetic problem.

According to a Swedish study, cars that demonstrate superficial rust may be substantially more dangerous if involved in a crash. A homeowner organization and Folksam, a Swedish insurance company, conducted crash tests on several used Volkswagen and Mazda cars that showed signs of typical rust. The results showed a major degradation in the cars' safety structures.

The Mazdas' rusty rocker panels were crushed in both the frontal and side-impact collisions. The chassis rails detached from the floor, footwells burst, sills came loose, and the seat mountings shifted.

Folksam contends that the fatality risk with the weakened structure caused by mostly invisible corrosion increases by as much as 20 percent.

15 Monster Truck with Huge Tires

A survey of 2,000 men and woman conducted by Insure.com shows that women are attracted to men who drive pickup trucks even more than sports cars. However, monster trucks or extreme lifted trucks make a different impression and are not favored by most women for several reasons:

Drivers of these huge vehicles with enormous tires are perceived as men with big egos or those who are trying to compensate for their lack of self-confidence.

Raised trucks are not safe. Factory pickup trucks are made for hauling and towing heavy loads and not designed to have good road handling capabilities. Lifted trucks with their raised center of gravity are even more unstable and prone to tipping over especially in situations requiring a sudden emergency maneuver.

Most women fail to see the benefit of a lifted truck so high off the ground, they are impractical for loading and unloading any cargo.

Many of the modified pickups do not meet state vehicle height regulations. GVWR usually dictates maximum height. For example, in California, a truck with GVWR of 4,500 pounds is limited to a frame height of 27 inches. Women don’t want to ride in a truck constantly pulled over by the highway patrol for height violations.

Perhaps the biggest deterrent is getting into the truck that requires climbing a ladder.

14 Tasteless License Plates

A car is not just a mode of traveling from point A to point B. It is a status symbol, an indication of the owner’s personality traits, and a mode of personal expression.

Some drivers spell out their entire political philosophy, family attributes, or root for their favorite sports team in dozens of topical bumper stickers, sometimes resembling a mobile billboard. However, a select few can tell other drivers everything they need to know about them with one jaw-dropping tasteless license plate.

Only certain types of individuals are drawn to vanity license plates. A small portion of that group opts for an offensive expression.

Sometimes the DMV recognizes them and denies the request. Other times it passes through without detection. But women who are targeted with sexist or sexual license plates seldom miss them and are easily turned off.

Both women and men, however, appreciate a creative and tasteful personalized plate like these examples: UARNEXT (hearse), LFSGOOD (smashed-up car), WTEVR (People who don’t care), HUGE (tiny Smart Fortwo), LOL MPG (gas-guzzling pickup truck), RUBIX (Nissan Cube), IN DEBT (BMW), 4GET OIL (Tesla), BKRPYCY (Ferrari), I AM LOST (any car without a GPS navigation system).

13 Reading the Car Manual

Studies have shown that woman are much more likely to read an instruction manual than men. For a new electronic gadget, a woman will carefully read the accompanying manual, so they can solve any problems that arise on their own.

Men, on the other hand, are overconfident in their knowledge, do not read the instructions, and therefore require help from technical support.

A large British firm that provides technical support for dozens of companies, analyzed data from 75,000 calls during a two-month period. They concluded that most people still do not consider an instruction booklet something worthy of attention and do not read it when technical difficulties arise.

Researchers also found that this "careless" attitude is more common among men than among women. Sixty-four percent of the male callers never opened the manual while among the women who called, only twenty-four percent turned immediately to technical support without looking at the instructions.

However, women are reluctant to read a car manual for good reasons. They do not have the tools to make the necessary repairs even if the manual clearly explains the procedure and in general they don’t want to get their hands dirty.

12 Booming Sound Systems

When it first becomes audible at more than a quarter of a mile away, it’s not clear if the pounding, low-frequency sound comes from a canon firing in a military exercise, the rumble of distant thunder or an earthquake. But it is getting louder and only seconds pass until the booming bass tones of a ten-thousand-watt amplifier and arrays of sub-woofers are recognizable, well before the vehicle carrying the stadium concert-level sound system is even visible.

When the car passes by, the intense throbbing sets off car alarms, rattles windows, and vibrates glasses in the cupboard. The pounding of the bass tones is so penetrating it feels like being punched in the chest, making a heart attack seem plausible.

Sound levels inside the house can reach 90dB, nearly six times louder than a normal conversation. Inside the car, the driver and passengers can be subjected to levels more than 150dB. Rock concerts generate 120 dB. Continuous exposure to sounds above 85 dB is an undeniable health hazard.

While the marketers of booming car sound systems promote them as a means to attract women and impress peers, the effect is certainly questionable. How many women are turned on by a car that blasts music so loud it announces its arrival several minutes before appearing?

11 Listening to Guys Talk Car Lingo

According to allwomenstalk.com, the top 8 topics men like to talk about are, in order of importance: cars, sports, women, dirty jokes, the “glory” days, bodily functions, politics, and sex.

Guys have a love affair with cars that began with racing matchbox sets as little boys. As grown men, they talk cars with friends and discuss which models are faster, sleeker, and cooler. Men love to rev engines, spin tires and show off their wheels.

Exceptions exist, of course, but for most women, a conversation about cars with a man will always lead to confusion or boredom. Once the topic of discussion changes to the new exhaust system he wants to put on his car, the average woman’s mind will wonder. Just a smile and a nod can make the conversation end much quicker.

Women who have a significant other who is passionate about cars can better tolerate endless hours of car conversation by remembering that he has two loves in his life. Most likely the car came first. Even though he refers to his car as “her” or “baby,” he loves his partner just as much…or almost as much!

10 Refueling

“I am an attractive, intelligent, interesting, well-dressed woman. How come there's no automatic refueling service? Men simply don't understand that I absolutely refuse to get dirty at the gas station! It's true most women enjoy driving to the full but when the gas sign shows low... game over!” said one female driver.

SAHM, from sammichespsychmeds.com wrote, “I hate filling the car up. It’s not a secret. My husband gets so frustrated with me when I try to wean it, and I don’t blame him. I dislike getting in and seeing that I probably have already run out of fumes and it’s now running on faith; I just don’t dislike it enough to actually DO anything about it. I’m ashamed to admit that more than once I’ve mentally calculated the odds that I can make it home when the fuel light comes on.”

For these women who hate to refuel, several smartphone apps are available that provide a refueling service. Drivers designate their car’s location on a map and order gas delivery for a selected time frame. A truck arrives, and a trained driver fills the tank while the car is parked at home, at the office or anywhere the user specifies. One satisfied customer wrote, “I haven’t been to a gas station in five months!”

9 Keeping the A/C Turned Off

Using the air-conditioner (AC) versus rolling down car windows is a fuel-saving measure frequently discussed among car owners. The question: Will the energy savings from turning off the A/C be sufficient to offset the energy required to overcome the drag created with the car windows open?

Studies have shown that turning the AC on or off can help reduce or improve fuel efficiency, depending on driving conditions. Driving slowly with the AC off and the windows open improves fuel efficiency. At slow speeds drag is insignificant.

Depending on car design, with the windows rolled down, wind resistance significantly impacts fuel efficiency at speeds of around 85-90 kilometers per hour or higher. Therefore, when traveling at high speeds, such as driving on a highway, switching on the AC with the windows rolled up, is more fuel-efficient.

Women are turned off by riding in a car without the AC at any speed for two vital reasons. First, with the windows open the air flowing into the car blows their hair everywhere. It only takes a few seconds to destroy hours of careful grooming. Second, in a warm climate, no elegantly dressed woman (or even casually dressed) wants to arrive at her destination hot and sticky from riding in a car without AC.

8 Loud Exhaust

There are several reasons why enthusiasts purchase a performance car with a loud exhaust or install an aftermarket exhaust system. However, two motives stand out.

Performance: Exhaust systems consist of catalytic converters, mufflers, and tail pipes, all of which are designed to reduce emissions and provide a back pressure on the engine which optimizes performance, fuel economy, and keeps the noise under acceptable levels as required by law. High-performance cars have louder exhausts systems that are designed with performance as a higher priority than noise reduction or fuel economy.

Aftermarket, cat-back (the part after the catalytic converters) exhaust systems are louder for the same reasons. A change of the exhaust system can boost the engine’s horsepower and torque.

Attention: A loud exhaust draws attention to the car and the driver feeding the ego and ultimately providing a sense of security. In some cases, the owner may just like the high shrill sound of a custom exhaust.

Women are less enamored with the sound of a high-performance exhaust system for several reasons. The music sound system inside the car is difficult to hear over the roar of the exhaust. Girls find it annoying when their boyfriends rev their loud engines when passing a school or a crowd of people waiting for a store to open. A loud exhaust announces boyfriend arrival and departure times to a girl’s neighbors.

7 Dashboard Bobblehead Dolls

Bobblehead dolls mounted on the dashboard or back parcel shelf of a car are part of a collection of absurd and overrated car accessories. Others include antenna toppers, car eyelashes & carstaches, neon lights, stuffed animals, beanie babies, Hawaiian leis, and “baby on board” signs.

Bobbleheads originated in China and arrived in Europe in the 1760s, prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Made from porcelain and other ceramics, papier-mâché, metal, resin, clay, wood, and plastic, the little dolls reached the height of popularity in the 1970's. However, interest waned (dashboards remained free of clutter) until the late 1990s when they returned to the collector’s spotlight (and dashboards one again).

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Candlestick Park in 1999, the San Francisco Giants handed out a promotional Willie Mays Bobblehead to 20,000 visitors. The figurine revived the popularity of the dolls with oversized wobbling heads and inspired a new generation of creators and collectors.

In 2015, a single Bobblehead auctioned for $59,750.

Cars with bobblehead dolls on the dash or back parcel shelf send a message to other drivers, both women and men: The owner likes to attract attention, is a bit socially awkward, and has hoarder tendencies (when dozens are displayed).

6 Purchase Price

Women buy more new vehicles in the U.S. than men, and they influence over 80% of all vehicle purchase decisions. However, women not only dread the car dealership experience, they also are more concerned about the purchase price than men.

While some women are attracted to men who drive sports cars, many are indifferent to sports car styles and performance statistics. They are not impressed that a Porsche 911S can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds or that the Bugatti Chiron is perhaps the fastest street-legal production car in the world. Many women can’t tell the difference between a Corvette and a Ferrari, simply because they don’t care.

Married women, however, develop an interest in their husband’s car, not for its horsepower and torque, but its purchase price.

A woman prefers her husband to spend less money buying a mundane car leaving more family funds left over to purchase whatever she wants. For the same reason, some women also abhor boats, customized trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, and dirt bikes.

To be fair, men would prefer that their wives spend less on clothes, get their hair and nails done less frequently, buy less useless decorative stuff for the house, and purchase less jewelry.

5 Coilovers or Stiff Suspensions

Coilovers combine the functions of coil springs that permit the car body to move up and down, and the shock absorbers that control spring oscillations. Factory coil springs, shocks, and struts are designed for everyday driving, but optimal handling requires the refinement and adjustability of performance coilovers.

Benefits:

Ride height adjustment: a car with a lower center of gravity handles better due to reduced roll and more even tire loading. Adjustable damping: not available on many factory cars, coilovers allow damping adjustments for car use in different environments. Reduced body roll/lift/dive: aftermarket coilovers have a superior suspension geometry with stiffer spring rates, reducing body roll, nose dive, and lift. They maintain ideal tire contact with the road.

Drawbacks:

Reduced suspension travel: for lowered cars, less wheel travel distance is available to avoid contact with the wheel well. The stiff springs used to reduce travel can have adversely affect handling. Stiffer suspensions: a harsher ride unavoidable with a stiff system. It feels much like a go-kart. Body vibration and bumps are jarring for the driver.

Women don’t like the bumpy ride, nor do they enjoy when the driver swerves to avoid every tiny pothole.

4 Men Driving Too Fast

“I feel the need—the need for speed!” Spoken by Peter "Maverick" Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise in the film, Top Gun, it sums up man’s emotional infatuation with velocity.

Since man discovered he could get places faster on a horse, he has been obsessed with things that move quickly. Trains, elevators, manned aircraft, sailfish, humans, animals, boats, roller coasters, submarines, and of course, cars are the focus of man’s preoccupation with speed. Therefore, men buy sports cars and motorcycles designed specifically for going fast.

Shaun Helman, Head of Transport Psychology at the Transport Research Laboratory says, "Young males, in particular, seem to be more prone to extreme speeding," says Helman. "If you look at the types of crashes…younger drivers tend to be involved in more speed-related crashes than older drivers. But those who speed do so for lots of different reasons…this could be because they're in a hurry, because they want to, or because they just feel safe at that speed.”

Most women, on the other hand, do not share or understand man’s passion for speed. A woman may respond to a man’s statement, “But we are making great time,” with logic, “it doesn’t matter if we make good time if we have an accident a never get there!” Perhaps she will add, “SLOW DOWN, YOU IDIOT!”

3 Hanging Around an Auto Shop

“The day may be approaching when the whole world will recognize woman as the equal of man.” Susan B. Anthony

Everyone has the right to be treated equally, but studies show that most women would rather get a root canal than visit an auto repair shop for these reasons:

She is not made to feel welcome: Greeted by a poster on the wall with a bikini-clad woman promoting an auto repair tool, a mechanic walks by without acknowledging her presence. The coffee machine is turned on, but the pot hasn’t been washed for months, and there are no cups.

The bathroom is disgusting and stinks more than an outhouse. There is no toilet paper in the dispenser. Holding her breath, she finishes quickly.

She doesn’t understand the diagnosis and even if she does, the mechanic speaks down to her as if he is wasting his time.

She feels helpless about the repair cost. When she asks, the response is “depends.”

The waiting room has uncomfortable plastic chairs, and the magazines involve cars, sports, and supermodels.

The wait is long, and when the mechanic finally comes back, she pays for the job with no idea if the price is right. She gets no explanation of the cost, itemized invoice, and no guarantee.

2 Excessive In-Car Technology

Men and women diverge in preference and taste when it comes to automobiles. While men prefer cars with power, women look for a vehicle that is reliable, safe, and fuel-efficient. For those reasons, women tend to be turned off by cars with excessive technology.

Statistics from J.D. Power demonstrate that a substantial portion of car owners use only about half of the new technology features found in their cars, primarily because they don’t need most of them, nor do they want them.

Some of the most consumer-neglected features include head-up displays, mobile routers, automatic parking, built-in apps, and in-vehicle concierge services. According to J.D. Power, at least 20 percent of drivers do not want these features because they already have them on their smartphone or a tablet.

Some new features may also be too distracting such as active touch screens and cluttered steering wheel consoles. Chip Lackey, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power states, "While some technologies, such as lane-departure warning, are making vehicles safer, the insurance industry is very concerned about the driver-distraction hazards caused by some of the other technologies."

1 Lowered Cars

Owners of lowered cars (like owners of lifted trucks) modify their vehicles primarily for one reason: they look cool! However, there are benefits and detriments to lowering.

Improved aerodynamics: A vehicle that sits closer to the ground allows less air underneath producing less wind drag. Improved handling and traction: Tires grip the road better on a lowered car, improving handling, but some modified suspensions will impair handling. Enhanced comfort: Some owners claim the lowered vehicle is more stable and comfortable. Reduced risk of rollover: Rollover is less likely with a lowered suspension and lower center of gravity. Increased bottoming out: A lowered suspension will bottom out, especially when it bounces. Speed bumps are difficult, and contact with the ground may damage vehicle components. Conflict with other systems and components: A lowered suspension can come into contact with other parts of the car such as the anti-lock brake system causing problems. Unevenness in the tire wear: Lowering the suspension can change the wheel alignment and cause uneven tire wear patterns.

Most women find the bottoming out disturbing, but the difficulty of entering and exiting a lowered car with a dress on is the most inconvenient.

Sources: www.autoevolution.com, www.huffingtonpost.com, www.cheatsheet.com, www.telegraph.co.uk, www.theglobeandmail.com, www.allwomenstalk.com