Retirees are the safest drivers
It’s an age-old subject of argument and a much-visited topic for hack comedians — who’s better at driving, men or women?
UK company Admiral Insurance has an answer, based on data from its “Little Box” telematics customers, and it says women are better drivers than men.
“Men have an annual average mileage of 7004 (11,272km) — 564 miles more than the women’s average of 6440,” says Admiral. “On average, men spend more time driving than women and, funnily enough, they spend a higher percentage of that time speeding. And with men being in the car more often, they also face driving at riskier times and in bad weather.”
The study found that drivers who have children are marginally safer behind the wheel than those without, and those who drive a petrol car drive better than those with diesel or a hybrid. The safest drivers most likely drive a Chevrolet (Holden in NZ), Skoda or Volvo, while the least safe are most likely to drive an Audi, Smart or Daewoo.
Safest occupations were found to be lecturer, project manager and, in first place, retirees. At the bottom of the pile were warehouse employees, company directors and call centre handlers.
According to Admiral, the best driver of all would be a woman aged between 46 and 50, with children, living in East Anglia, working as a software engineer and driving a two- or three-year-old red Honda automatic. The worst would be a Scottish man, aged 21-25, with no kids, working as a manager and driving a manual, white Audi.
Admiral’s data confirms a Privilege Insurance survey which finds women are better drivers than men. In the Privilege study female drivers outscored males in in-car tests and also when observed anonymously at one of Britain’s busiest junctions — Hyde Park Corner.
-Telegraph Group Ltd