The answer has differed in the various studies that have been carried out; some say better, others worse. It is of course also a question how you measure "better" or "worse" For a Contract Hire Company like us, women drivers are better in that they are more cautious and therefore have fewer serious accidents and collect less parking and speeding fines than men.
Psychologists, who carried out a study into men and women's driving skills at Queen Mary University London, came down on the side of men drivers. They said that not only women but also gay men didn't do at all well when driving in a strange environment. They concluded that women's navigational skills were inferior to that of men. This in itself doesn't mean that they are worse drivers, because they probably drive slower when lost and speed seems to be a factor in most serious accidents.
In research carried out by Frank Mc Kenna of Reading University, he stated that the only area men proved to better than women was in terms of manoeuvring and parking a vehicle, as he quite rightly pointed out "few people die parking". There seems to be little doubt that women have significantly more minor accidents than men. There is no way of being sure how many, because these minor accidents tend not to result in insurance claims; an insurance policy's excess, normally make it more practical to have the vehicle repaired at the drivers on expense.
Many women claim that men are more dangerous on the road because they are more aggressive and have never grown up, something that most men will happily admit to, making them more prone to get involved in races and to react when challenged. Women in general, view driving differently from men; simply as a means to getting to where they are going. Some men appear to feel they are in some form of ancient chariot race when on the road. This inevitably involves some poor decisions made in the heat of the moment; many men find it difficult to back down when challenged by what they see as the aggressive driving of another motorist.
Misjudging their speed when entering a bend is an accident that kills many young men, said Frank Mc Kenna. There also seems to be another factor involved and that is that younger male drivers appear to be more easily drawn into racing another motorist. Sometimes they loose control of their vehicle simply because they want to show the motorist driving behind them, that they can enter the bend at a greater speed and leave them behind. Whilst this behaviour is easy to understand, the results are often tragic. It is also suspected that they are often being goaded by their male companions and as a result push further to the limit.
There are a number of insurers who aim their marketing at women drivers, claiming that they represent a lower risk. Their argument is that the majority of fatal accidents involve male drivers. Additionally they say men are much more likely to drink and drive and exceed the speed limit. Overall they are saying that women drivers are more responsible that men, a point that many men would find difficult to argue against. A typical male response would be "yes but we are still better drivers".
As is so often the case, these things are not as straightforward as they first appear; women certainly do have fewer serious accidents but according to The Department of Transport, women's journeys generally are less frequent and shorter in nature than those of men. It becomes really interesting when you make a comparison between miles driven and accidents that result in serious injury. In the case of accidents where there is serious injury involved, one third of the cases involve women drivers, however women only drive on average one quarter of the miles driven by men. So per mile driven that would seem to suggest that women are more dangerous on the road than men. As a Contract Hire company we find that our female clients generally have less accidents, take more care of our cars and return them in better condition but that of course, as the Department of Transport figures show, doesn't necessarily make them better drivers.
Many men are often frustrated by the way women drive; men feel that women "dither" when driving. Women do appear to drive in a more uncertain fashion, which they would probably describe as cautious and would say that men are impatient and always trying to get past them. According to the Department of Transport, women have more vehicles drive into the rear of their cars, than do men. What we would have really liked to have known, which wasn't revealed in the report, is how many of those who drove into the back of them were men. The report also said that women are more likely to have an accident during the day, perhaps because they drive more during the day and they are particularly at risk between the hours of 8 and 10 am.
Most men appear to be uncomfortable when being driven by their wives or girlfriends. Some report that they find a journey more stressful that if they were actually driving. Their nervousness can be witnessed at junctions, where they look from side to side to check for approaching vehicles and rarely leave it to their woman driver's judgement. Their concerns are not without some justification, as it has been shown that accidents at junctions frequently involve women drivers. So whilst Contract Hire and Insurance companies will probably continue to favour their women drivers, it cannot be said that men's claims with regard to women drivers are without foundation.
Should you have any queries or questions with regard to Fleet Management, Licence checking, Contract Hire, Personal Contract Hire, Lease Purchase or vehicle Hire Purchase, please do not hesitate to contact us. Bowater Price plc 01494 536 536. www.bowaterprice.com. - 18193
Psychologists, who carried out a study into men and women's driving skills at Queen Mary University London, came down on the side of men drivers. They said that not only women but also gay men didn't do at all well when driving in a strange environment. They concluded that women's navigational skills were inferior to that of men. This in itself doesn't mean that they are worse drivers, because they probably drive slower when lost and speed seems to be a factor in most serious accidents.
In research carried out by Frank Mc Kenna of Reading University, he stated that the only area men proved to better than women was in terms of manoeuvring and parking a vehicle, as he quite rightly pointed out "few people die parking". There seems to be little doubt that women have significantly more minor accidents than men. There is no way of being sure how many, because these minor accidents tend not to result in insurance claims; an insurance policy's excess, normally make it more practical to have the vehicle repaired at the drivers on expense.
Many women claim that men are more dangerous on the road because they are more aggressive and have never grown up, something that most men will happily admit to, making them more prone to get involved in races and to react when challenged. Women in general, view driving differently from men; simply as a means to getting to where they are going. Some men appear to feel they are in some form of ancient chariot race when on the road. This inevitably involves some poor decisions made in the heat of the moment; many men find it difficult to back down when challenged by what they see as the aggressive driving of another motorist.
Misjudging their speed when entering a bend is an accident that kills many young men, said Frank Mc Kenna. There also seems to be another factor involved and that is that younger male drivers appear to be more easily drawn into racing another motorist. Sometimes they loose control of their vehicle simply because they want to show the motorist driving behind them, that they can enter the bend at a greater speed and leave them behind. Whilst this behaviour is easy to understand, the results are often tragic. It is also suspected that they are often being goaded by their male companions and as a result push further to the limit.
There are a number of insurers who aim their marketing at women drivers, claiming that they represent a lower risk. Their argument is that the majority of fatal accidents involve male drivers. Additionally they say men are much more likely to drink and drive and exceed the speed limit. Overall they are saying that women drivers are more responsible that men, a point that many men would find difficult to argue against. A typical male response would be "yes but we are still better drivers".
As is so often the case, these things are not as straightforward as they first appear; women certainly do have fewer serious accidents but according to The Department of Transport, women's journeys generally are less frequent and shorter in nature than those of men. It becomes really interesting when you make a comparison between miles driven and accidents that result in serious injury. In the case of accidents where there is serious injury involved, one third of the cases involve women drivers, however women only drive on average one quarter of the miles driven by men. So per mile driven that would seem to suggest that women are more dangerous on the road than men. As a Contract Hire company we find that our female clients generally have less accidents, take more care of our cars and return them in better condition but that of course, as the Department of Transport figures show, doesn't necessarily make them better drivers.
Many men are often frustrated by the way women drive; men feel that women "dither" when driving. Women do appear to drive in a more uncertain fashion, which they would probably describe as cautious and would say that men are impatient and always trying to get past them. According to the Department of Transport, women have more vehicles drive into the rear of their cars, than do men. What we would have really liked to have known, which wasn't revealed in the report, is how many of those who drove into the back of them were men. The report also said that women are more likely to have an accident during the day, perhaps because they drive more during the day and they are particularly at risk between the hours of 8 and 10 am.
Most men appear to be uncomfortable when being driven by their wives or girlfriends. Some report that they find a journey more stressful that if they were actually driving. Their nervousness can be witnessed at junctions, where they look from side to side to check for approaching vehicles and rarely leave it to their woman driver's judgement. Their concerns are not without some justification, as it has been shown that accidents at junctions frequently involve women drivers. So whilst Contract Hire and Insurance companies will probably continue to favour their women drivers, it cannot be said that men's claims with regard to women drivers are without foundation.
Should you have any queries or questions with regard to Fleet Management, Licence checking, Contract Hire, Personal Contract Hire, Lease Purchase or vehicle Hire Purchase, please do not hesitate to contact us. Bowater Price plc 01494 536 536. www.bowaterprice.com. - 18193
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For more information about contract hire, lease purchase, finance lease or vehicle hire purchase in the UK please contact Bowater Price plc 01494 536 536.
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