Well, it was before gender equity and women certainly didn't want to look unlady-like having to crank up their cars in the street. Also, as another commenter sa

Well, it was before gender equity and women certainly didn't want to look unlady-like having to crank up their cars in the street. Also, as another commenter said, backfiring engine could traumatise a person holding a crank. Horror stories like death from a broken jaw were an extreme rarity, but broken fingers were pretty much normal, and could ruin young woman's marriage prospects given how badly disfigured could fingers become given medical tech of the time.