There will always be a debate amongst men and women about their driving abilities. Men often mock their female counterparts for the way they drive – and women point to car insurance companies offering lower premiums to women drivers as proof of their safer driving!
We cannot deny that there are fewer car insurance claims from female drivers. This is a fact – and allows some car insurance companies to focus on the female segment of the driving population with specialized products.
It seems fair to say that women are “less of an accident risk” – but also unfair to say that women are better drivers. There are many reasons for the reduced accident claims from female drivers. These include:
- Driving much less / Fewer kilometres travelled
- Driving in less congested traffic
- Driving with young children and as a result often driving slower
- Etc
Earlier today I added a news story to the Accidents Blog titled “Woman crashes car into house after losing control”. This made me think of the accidents caused by both male and female drivers and how this might differ.
It is best to approach the car insurers to find information about the typical accidents caused by both genders. Research by women’s car insurance specialist, Diamond has found there are certain types of accidents women are more likely than men to be involved in. Diamond studied data from over two million accidents over five years and found a marked difference between the types of accidents men and women have.
The list for women includes accidents in car parks, bumps on roundabouts and prangs at traffic lights.
Male motorists are more likely than female motorists to have a head- on collision, drive their car up or down an embankment or hit a crash barrier.
Other interesting findings include:
- Women tend to be in more accidents at slower speeds, where cars are close together.
- Men have more high-speed accidents where it is easy to lose control.
- Research suggests the way men and women drive is different.
- Men drive faster and more aggressively than women, while women are more easily distracted than men behind the wheel of car.
It is not only the accident claims that differ- but also other vehicle related claims:
- Women are more likely to have their car broken into and have something inside stolen – They are more likely to leave expensive items like their handbag or sunglasses on show than men.
- Men are more likely to have their car stolen outright.
- Men’s cars are also more likely to catch fire than women’s and they’re more likely to drive through a flood.
- Men are also more likely than women to claim for fuel contamination.
We would like to share the list of claims often received from both genders:
Types of claims more common among women:
- Hitting another vehicle in the rear
- Hitting another vehicle from a minor road
- Reversed into another vehicle
- Collision on roundabout
- Collision in car park
- Theft from vehicle
- Hitting a wall
- Hitting a lamp post
- Collision at traffic light junction
- Hitting a cyclist
Types of claims more common among men:
- Changing lanes and hitting another vehicle
- Driving up or down an embankment
- Vehicle stolen
- Hitting a crash barrier
- Hitting an animal
- Head of collision with another vehicle
- Hitting a tree
- Driven through flood
- Vehicle caught fire
- Fuel contamination
Also view:
- Do women deserve cheaper car insurance premiums?
- Does cheaper car insurance imply women are better drivers?
- Why do some car insurers focus on women only?
We have discussed the