Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Are women better drivers?


The debate rages on, but to be honest the statistics seem to show the same thing every year: that men are more of a liability on the road because they take more risks and have more accidents as a result of aggressive or illegal driving maneuvers.

However, it's not quite as clear cut as that: there are around four million more male drivers than female, each driving about 30 percent more, so it's obvious men will crash more. The key statistic - and the one us men will cling to - is that women have more crashes at junctions and low speed sites - which means that, technically, men have better car control than women.


Unfortunately, the number of men involved in high-speed collisions leading to death or serious injury is significantly higher than women. According to statistics from the World Health Organisation, three times more men are killed on the road than women. Plus, in 2006, 87 per cent of motoring offences were by men, and a massive 96 percent of those convicted of dangerous driving were men, too.

For young people, twice as many under 25 year-old males are killed in road accidents as women - with men in general, but particularly younger ones - less able to exercise self-control, taking more unnecessary risks.

So, men, with Mother's Day coming up this weekend, why not take the opportunity to congratulate the women in your life for being better drivers - all it takes is a little self-control.

By: Mark Nichol