Are women better drivers?

Recent policing data suggests that women in Northern Ireland may actually be better drivers than their male counterparts. Here at CompareNI.com, our analysis shows four times more men than women are committing motoring offences in Northern Ireland. For more on this story…check out our full press coverage.

Why are women better drivers?

We can’t say with certainty, or without controversy, that women are definitely better drivers than men. However there is clear statistical evidence that male motorists do run afoul of the law to a much greater degree when it comes to driving. Overall 80% of motoring offences in NI are committed by men. It’s safe to say this is statistically significant.

The data we analysed showed that from the period of 1st June 2022 to 31st May 2023, males accounted for 32,714 of all 40,596 motoring offences committed in Northern Ireland. This is in comparison to just 7,882 motoring offences in Northern Ireland committed by women.

Why are men committing more driving offences?

The greatest number of driving offences committed by men were driving without the correct insurance. In contrast the greatest number of offences committed by women comprised of speeding.

Surprisingly across all motorists, younger drivers weren’t actually the worst offenders, that title goes to those aged between 30-49 years old. This age bracket accounted for more than two-fifths of all NI motoring offences reported by PSNI. In terms of which offences were committed the most overall, no insurance, followed by speeding and careless driving took the top spots.

In terms of why men are committing more of these offences, the short answer is we don’t know. Possible reasons include men are more likely to perceive the risks associated with getting caught as less severe than women, but again this will come down to individual perceptions.

The consequences of driving offences

The most common driving offence in Northern Ireland committed by all motorists was driving without adequate insurance. Those who get caught driving without the correct insurance can expect to be slapped with 6 penalty points and possible disqualification of driving. On top of this there is also likely to be a fine of up to £200. If your offences are serious enough, you can end up in court and potentially have a criminal record.

The impact of driving offences on my insurance

With some insurers, even having one penalty point can significantly increase your premiums. Committing a three penalty point offence, such as Failing to comply with a ‘stop’ sign, can result in as much as a 25% increase in your premiums. More serious offences can even result in loss of licence and even insurers refusing to give you coverage in the future.

Conclusion

Whilst we can’t say definitively that women are better drivers than men, we can safely say that men make up the majority of motoring offences in Northern Ireland. With the majority of offences being insurance-related with 7,091 instances recorded, it appears men are less concerned about staying on top of their insurance coverage than women. Driving without insurance can have serious effects however as it is illegal to drive on public roads without it. Many other countries will also require you to have some level of coverage before getting behind the wheel.

Whilst it can seem like a pain to manage an insurance policy and sometimes even expensive, the fines and penalty points of being caught without adequate insurance can lead to bigger problems.

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Our findings are based on a randomised survey of 1,000 respondents across the UK, which represents a margin of error of approximately 5% at a 95% confidence level.

*https://www.psni.police.uk/sites/default/files/2023-07/Motoring%20offences%20monthly%20update%20to%20end%20May%202023.pdf  

* *51% of consumers could save £504.25 on their Car Insurance. The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next five cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website. This is based on representative cost savings from September 2023 data. The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances and how you selected your current insurance supplier.  

This article is intended as generic information only and is not intended to apply to anybody’s specific circumstances, demands or needs. The views expressed are not intended to provide any financial service or to give any recommendation or advice. Products and services are only mentioned for illustrative rather than promotional purposes.