According to the majority of the British public (58%) ‘there is no real difference’ between the motoring capabilities of men and women, the results of our latest survey show, shedding some light on the infamous ‘who is the better driver’ battle of the sexes.
- 58% say there is no difference between men and women’s driving
- 21% feel that women are better, while just 17% subscribe to the traditional stereotype that ‘men are better drivers than women’.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, women and men are keen to support their own sex when it comes to who is best behind the wheel, although some feel that the opposite sex is, in fact, the superior motorist.
- 32% of women believe that they are better drivers than men, compared to just 8% who opted for men
- In contrast, 32% of men chose themselves as the better of the two, compared to 10% who thought that women were actually best
- The majority of both sexes, however, believe that there is little difference (with 59% of men and 56% of women choosing this option)
Cracking down on dangerous driving
Our results come in the wake of recent government announcements to implement a new strategy in a bid to render Britain’s roads safer, and just two months after insurance companies announced that they would no longer be able to lower women’s premiums solely on the basis of gender. Ministers have said that motorists who tail-gate, undertake or cut others up often go unpunished, and that introducing instant penalties would be more efficient. Offenders would get a fine of at least £80 and three points on their licence.
In light of such a crackdown, then, it seems that drivers should perhaps be aspiring not to be ‘better’, but should instead be chasing the ‘safer’ ideal – albeit at a sensibly reduced speed – to avoid being £80 out of pocket.
