Are Women Better Drivers Than Men?
By Tom Jones
Are women better drivers than men? Some car insurance companies seem to think so, as many give better rates to women than to men! There are many different reasons why this is, one of them is that whilst women on average may have more ”fender benders” than men do, many of them are far less serious and less expensive to repair than the types of collisions that men are typically involved in.
A car insurance company will take a number of things into consideration when it comes to women drivers. Whilst one person may be involved in several small accidents as opposed to one big one, one large accident can be much more expensive for insurance companies.
For example, three small incidents will probably mean that the repairs costs are low enough to warrant not making an insurance claim as they are under the voluntary excess. Studies have shown that men are far more likely to be involved in serious accidents than women. This is particularly pertinent to younger male drivers, who are more likely to speed than young women. As the risk to the insurers is higher so are the premiums for men.
Car insurance companies also look at what kinds of traffic offences and accidents occur for both men and women. Whilst women may have a few speeding tickets, who do you think gets pulled over for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs more often? Sadly it is men.
Men also have more tickets that involve violating safety laws than a women. Both sexes are guilty of ignoring the illegal use of mobile phones whilst driving and it is often women who are the butt of the jokes about applying make-up whilst driving and yet men are less likely to wear their seat belt or be driving vehicles which are unfit to be on the road. Therefore, men cost insurance companies more in the long run than women. That doesn”t mean that a woman won”t get into be involved in major accidents, but the likelihood is lower, hence insurance companies perceive women to be safer drivers than men and as a result offer them competitively priced insurance rates.
So how can a woman get the best rates for car insurance? There are many insurance companies that cater just for women and this is one way to look for a policy which meets your driving needs and your budget. It is also wise to ‘’shop ”til you drop” using the internet rather than trudging down the high street! Shopping for car insurance may not be as exciting as shopping for shoes or clothes, but unless you do, you may find that you are paying over the odds for your car insurance.
It is important that you look around and check each company’’s policy carefully. Have a list of the exact things you are looking within the policy to ensure you are offered women’’s car insurance which offers value for money and suits your driving needs adequately.
About The Author
For more information regarding womens car insurance go to http://www.swinton.co.uk/womendrivers/