Today was press day at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, the day that automakers hold press conferences to introduce their new models. It's where I shot this photo. Honda presented the new 2016 Pilot by having models posing as a family load hockey gear into the cargo area, put the children in the back seat, and then "drive" to the arena.
And as soon as they were finished loading the vehicle, I knew exactly what would happen. And I was right. Mom went to the passenger side, and Dad got behind the wheel.
Now, I'm not picking on Honda specifically. Everybody does this. When it's Mom and Dad, it's Dad behind the wheel. When it's Guy and Gal, it's the guy who's in control. Every single time there are two people in the car, and one is female, she's the one in the passenger seat.
The only time you ever see a woman driving in TV commercials, on billboards, in print ads, or in the auto shows is when she's the only person in the car, or everyone else in the vehicle is too young to drive.
A minor complaint? In the grand scheme of things, yes. But I'm bloody tired of it. Automakers, you give us the lip service about how you know we buy half the cars out there, and we're so important to you. Well, if we were, you'd give us a shot behind the wheel every now and again. How about just once, Dad grabs the right-hand door handle, and Mom gets to drive? If we're so important to you, then every now and again, show us that we are.
