The debate continues, but the jury’s back in… Again.
There are lots of things that men and women argue about, whether it’s equal pay, maternity vs paternity leave time, and who’s really responsible for taking out the trash. But perhaps one of the major topics is: Who are the better drivers, men or women?
It’s always a touchy subject when you call into question a person’s driving skills, however you can just about treble the tension when your sex is used as part of the argument. Well, thankfully we can all stop hashing it out, at full volume through our side windows, accompanied by some very passionate hand gestures.
The stats are in and women are the better drivers. For now. Who knows what could happen in the future?
Talking about the stats
There are 2 sets of stats we want to talk about here. The first is the result of data collected during a 20-month period in South Africa, via a programme that uses newly developed technology. This tech focuses on improving the way people drive by tracking their driving habits and shows that women have an overall higher average score than males.
The second set of stats comes from a month-long study done in the UK, with 1,500 drivers, which also found that women are the better drivers. According to the results, female drivers outscored males by a significant amount. We don’t want to get bogged down in the details of the study, but sometimes it’s nice to be a little profesh about these things.
The undeniable numbers of women vs men:
- 39% of women are more courteous drivers, compared to 28% of men.
- 25% of women approached hazards too fast, compared with 45% of men.
- 85% of women stopped at amber lights, compared to 44% of men.
- 1% of women cut into traffic dangerously, compared to 14% of men.
- 4% of women drove too close to the car in front of them, compared to 27% of men.
- Women scored 23.6 points out 30 in the 14 aspects of driving that were assessed, while men scored 19.8 points.
What does this actually mean?
We’ll talk straight to the money first. Yes, men in South Africa pay higher car insurance premiums as a result of these findings. But actually, the real meaning behind these studies should be that not all people drive safely.
Sure, women are on average less likely to drive unsafely, but the numbers don’t lie and it’s clear that both sexes make frequent mistakes, including ignoring the rules of the road, aggressive driving behaviour, and tailgating.
In fact, statistics show that South Africa has a relatively poor road safety record overall, with over 14,000 fatalities every year. You see, we all have some pretty rubbish driving habits. The responsibility rests on all of us, men and women, to drive in a manner that protects us as drivers, our passengers, and fellow road-users.
And if you’re worried about paying too much in car insurance premiums, you can always go for the latest premium model that doesn’t discriminate based on gender. King Price will decrease your comprehensive car insurance premium every single month, without fail. The decrease is worked out in line with the depreciating value of your car, so that your premium is always set at a fair amount. It doesn’t matter if your car is blue or pink. So long as it exists.
Curious about what you could pay? Get a super cheap, commitment-free quote online or call a consultant on 0860 50 50 50.