The Better Driver: Men Or Women?

The debate on whether men or women are better drivers has been going on since vehicles were invented. There are different stereotypes that happen with this particular topic, and the more popular one to fall into is that men are better drivers than women. This debate is one that probably does not have a definite conclusion. So, let’s look at some of the facts. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more men die in motor vehicle accidents than women every year.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also states that due to the fact that men drive more miles than women on average, they are also more likely to engage in risky behaviors while driving. This could include speeding, driving under the influence, and/or not wearing seat belts. In 2019, 71% of all motor vehicle crashes were caused by male drivers. This is one of the major reasons as to why men pay more for car insurance than women. They make many more claims than women do annually. Even though the numbers have gone down in recent years, the number of fatal accidents caused on the road by males is still double the number caused by women. This statistic does not change is you factor in age as well. Even if you look at certain age groups, the number of men compared to women is still much higher.

Even though men have the higher number for in the amount of car crashes each year, women are not necessarily the best drivers either. If you look at pass rates for taking your driving test, women do not take the cake. It is said that men have a pass rate of about 49.9% and women have 43%. In 2019-2020, hundreds of thousands more men had passed their drivers test even though women had a significantly higher number take the exam in the first place. There have also been studies that show results that women are less confident behind the wheel than men are. One particular study done by UCLA shows that when the participants were asked to rank their own confidence level for when they are behind the wheel, men ranked themselves much higher than women.

As stated above, there is no way to come to a confident conclusion on which gender is the “better” driver. There are many factors that come into play in regard to driving safety that do not have to do with gender. The more experience you are driving often will play into your safeness while driving as well. That is not to say that accidents do not happen, they do. But, if a driver has more experience then they are more likely to understand the dangers of the road. Overall, people should not disregard the safety cautions that you learn when you are first learning how to drive. These things such as always wearing your seat belt, staying alert, and going the speed limit affect all drivers and should never be forgotten.