Why are women seen as a lower insurance risk? Why are men seen as more aggressive on the roads? We examine the widely believed myth that men drive better than women.
Since the dawn of cavemen and cavewomen, the battle of “who drives better?” has been going on for thousands of years. Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration because cavemen and women didn’t have cars, but we can just picture them arguing with one another as to who rides the sabre tooth tiger better or something along those lines.
A person’s driving skills is often a very touchy thing to talk or joke about. And the age-old debate of who the better driver is between men and women is something that leads to many heated debates around the braai or dinner table.
The thing is: Women are seen as less distractible drivers compared to men and because of this, when it comes to car insurance, and are regarded as a lower insurance risk. Before you start shouting, swearing or celebrating at this answer, let’s take a deeper look into why this is the case.
This finding comes from a study that was conducted that found men to be more likely to swerve off the road when distracted by an attractive woman on the side of the road. Women on the other hand, may get somewhat distracted, but not to the point where they take their eyes off the road.
Related: What is distracted driving?
Debunking the myth that men drive better than women
Dangerous distractions
The survey was conducted by an Australian company, Allianz and it found that of the 1425 men and women involved in the survey, 50.9% of men admitted that they are distracted by good-looking women when they are driving. This is a pretty big proportion compared to the 15.2% of women who confessed to taking a little peek at a good-looking man on the side of the road.
That’s not all the survey found. When it comes down to it, men are just as likely to stare at a pretty woman, whether they are single or not. 54% of the bachelors who were surveyed said that women are able to steal their attention away from the road and driving, which was similar to 50% of men in committed relationships who had the same confession!
On the other end, wives and girlfriends are half as likely to be distracted by some hunk on the side of the road (12.5%) compared to their single friends at 21.3%. These proportions all come down to the general view that women are safer and more cautious when it comes to driving, compared to men.
Men are more confident behind the wheel
Another study which focused on gender specific driving, said that due to the fact that the gap between the amount of women and men drivers is still existent, meaning that there are more men drivers compared to women, this means that men have a higher annual mileage compared to women.
This study also found that men do have a greater technical ability when behind the wheel but are also more likely to openly declare themselves as excellent drivers, meaning they are more confident behind the wheel. The study concluded that, whatever skills and confidence men may have, they also drive more aggressively, take more risks, speed more, drink more and actually drive many more miles than women.
Discover: How to Teach Driving to Your Teen
Wealth has a role to play
Another factor that has a role to play in distracted driving is wealth. The first study that we mentioned, found that men who earned more and drove fancy cars, were more likely to get distracted by pretty girls.
This could tie into factors such as confidence, ego and perhaps even testosterone levels boosted. Another study agreed with these findings and said that men consider themselves more attractive when driving an expensive car, whereas women in this study said that men who drive fancy cars are seen as more arrogant and dangerous on the roads.
This study went on to mention that women are more cautious on the roads because they are often seen as ‘bad drivers,’ which affects their driving habits. So basically, stereotypes affect how a woman drives, which seems crazy but kind of makes sense.
What it comes down to
Because men are typically seen as more aggressive drivers and women more cautious, this leads to more serious accidents resulting from male drivers and women having less significant bumper bashings etc.
Read this: On the Scene: What to Do After a Car Accident
The thing is, the stats in SA show that we have over 14000 deaths on the road every year – these are some scary numbers! And regardless of who is the better driver, we all need to be more cautious on the roads and follow the rules!
And, of course, if you are looking for affordable car insurance that lets you choose how much of your car you want insured and at what price, then Oneplan Car and Household Insurance is your go to.
Life is complicated, insurance shouldn’t be.
Your Insurance Family,
Oneplan
