Men clock up more miles than women

MEN drive higher annual mileages than women, according to an AA Motor Insurance survey of more than 9,000 people.

Just over 26 per cent of men drive between 14,000 and 20,000 kilometres on average, in comparison to 22.73 per cent of women.

Only 6.7 per cent of respondents had driven over 30,000 kilometres - just under 10 per cent of men had reached this figure and only 3.77 per cent of women.

The research found that 45.3 per cent of people in Ireland drove between 5,000 and 14,000 km on average in 2016, while 24.5 per cent of drivers travelled between 14,000 and 20,000 km.

Drivers in more rural areas are also putting in longer shifts behind the wheel, with 10.51 per cent of drivers in Ulster and 8.05 per cent of drivers in Connacht averaging over 30,000 kilometres, in comparison to just 3.21 per cent of Dublin drivers.

‘Quite why men should be higher mileage drivers is not clear from this data.’ said Conor Faughnan, Director of Consumer Affairs at AA Ireland.

‘It may be to do with work patterns or occupations that are predominantly male although as a pattern that may change. It is less surprising to see that rural dwellers drive longer; they face longer commutes and have fewer alternatives.’

The survey also revealed that 38.8 per cent of respondents spend an average of €25 and €50 per week on petrol and diesel. However, in correlation to distance driven, 62.1 per cent of Ulster drivers are spending between €25 and €75 a week on fuel, closely followed by Connacht, where over half of drivers (57.88%) spend that amount. Only 43.68% of Dublin drivers spend the same amount each week.

Fuel is too expensive for all of us because the tax on it is so high,’ said Faughnan.

‘But when you look at travel patterns you see that this unfair taxation actually affects rural Ireland more harshly than the towns and cities. This hardly seems fair.’