Better drivers — men or women?
Since the beginning of car age when more women started using automobiles the dispute has remained the same. Are men better drivers than women? Despite the fact that there's no real scientific proof to the statement that men drive better and safer than women, you will rarely hear a man confessing that his wife or girlfriend drives better than he does.
So, who is really a better driver? Who is less involved in traffic violations and car accidents? While many male drivers think for a second when answering the question, auto insurance companies have already analyzed the statistics and answered the question.
According to data gathered by insurers, young male drivers are the most risky and likely to be involved in car accidents. Men between 16 and 25 of age are much more frequent participants in accidents and are more often charged for traffic violations. These statistics affect the way companies set their auto insurance rates for this group of drivers.
Official statistics from the TrafficSTATS 2007 study show that men are more likely to get involved in fatal car accidents than women by 77%. The study involved information from FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) and the National Household Travel Survey, estimating deaths per 100 million trips. The numbers were 14.61 for men and 6.53 for women, while the total number of deaths due to traffic accidents during a 6 year period between 1999 and 2005 was 175,094 men and 82,371 women.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicates that 14,512 men died due to car accidents in 2007 compared to 5,865 women. Although there are more male drivers on the road than female drivers, the numbers still support the TrafficSTATS study.
Age analysis shows that men between 20 and 24 are more likely to get killed in a car accident, while women between 16 and 19 have higher fatality rates than women 20–24 of age. Most insurance companies agree that young men have a much more aggressive driving style and tend to break the law much more often than young female drivers.
So are younger drivers always subjected to higher insurance rates when getting a policy? Fortunately no, although the tendency is right. Car insurance companies tend to evaluate risks differently so it is very important for a young driver to compare car insurance quotes from different insurers before getting a policy.
One of the ways to make car insurance less costly is going through a course of defensive driving. Having evidence that you have passed through such a course can lower your annual premiums so more and more drivers of all age groups are considering this option. One of online course providers notes that in 2008 there were more men applying for such courses than women. Does it mean that men start thinking of their driving abilities and risks associated with their aggressive manner of driving a car? Maybe. But the statistics are much more precise in answering that question.
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