Women drivers enjoy cheaper insurance
(20 April 2007)

Women drivers have a "lower risk profile" than their male counterparts, which leads to them gaining lower insurance premiums, an insurance group has said.

Research published by yesinsurance.co.uk has shown that one third of men believe that they are better drivers than women, despite evidence indicating the opposite.

Male drivers are involved in twice as many car accidents as women and are more likely to undertake "risky manoeuvres" and drive at high speed, the report showed.

Paul Purdy, spokesperson for yesinsurance.co.uk, said: "Both accident statistics and research of driving behaviour points to the fact that women are generally safer than men when on the road."

He added that even when it is taken into account that men tend to drive more miles than women over the course of the year, men still "come out worst" in the statistics.

Women can usually obtain cheaper car insurance than men as a result of these figures, he concluded.

Meanwhile, Sainsbury's Bank has warned motorists that they should take out a comprehensive policy and take extra care when taking their children on the school run, as 460,000 people have claimed on insurance for accidents occurring at this time.