Women are better drivers – but only just

It’s official: women are the best drivers – but only by a very small margin.

Total Accident Management analysed its database of nearly 25,000 incidents recorded in 2011, split by male/female company car drivers.

Out of all the accidents involving women drivers, 36% were deemed their fault or partly their fault, 44.5% were non-fault. For male drivers, nearly 41% of incidents were proven as their fault or partly their fault while just over 43% were non-fault. From this, the company concludes that women are better drivers by a factor of 5%.

“Company motorists are professional drivers, some covering tens of thousands miles on company business each year and generally their standards of driving are very good,” said Penny Stoolman, Total’s managing director. “That’s why we believe the ‘at fault’ accident rates are so close between women and men.”

Interestingly, 6.3% of incidents occurred with no driver at the wheel, with one in five caused by leaving the handbrake off.