Women ARE best drivers

Men cost insurers more, but women admit going barefoot

WOMEN motorists were yesterday told what they have always known – that they drive better than men.

Men are nearly four times more likely to commit a motoring offence, including driving without insurance, research has revealed.

They are five times as likely to drink-drive and twice as likely to make an insurance claim and be at fault, according to price comparison website Confused.com.

Male drivers also cost insurers more – possibly because they drive more expensive cars. As a result, men are paying nearly £100 a year more for insurance – £793 compared with the women’s average of £701.

Safer

The disparity comes despite the 2012 EU Gender Directive which banned insurers from basing premiums purely on gender. Instead they have to take other factors into account, including the likelihood of a driver making a claim.

Confused.com motoring editor Amanda Stretton said: “As a female racing driver I know women can hold their own when it comes to driving and data suggests that they are in fact safer on the roads.

“This is reflected in the fact that they are paying almost £100 less for their premiums. This could be down to the fact that more men committed more motoring offences in comparison to women.

“They also often own more expensive cars, which means claims are likely to be more expensive.” RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding added: “Many male drivers will have been brought up safe in the knowledge that they are better drivers than women. But these numbers tell a very different story.

“The reward for females comes not just in the form of knowing they can teach men a thing or two, but also cheaper motoring.”

The analysis of insurance and court statistics showed that last year 79 per cent of the 585,000 cases taken to court for offences on the road in England and Wales involved men.

Men were also three times more likely to be involved in speeding cases, the study found.

The average insurance payout was £3,271 for men compared with £3,121 for women.

Poll data also suggests that men have worse driving habits, with 23 per cent admitting not indicating when switching lanes, compared with 17 per cent of women. Twelve per cent of men tailgated, compared with seven per cent of women. But women were twice as likely to drive in bare feet. A possible reason why women have a safer record is that on average, they take longer to learn to drive. Last year 30 per cent failed their test compared with 23 per cent of men.