Married women are worse drivers

The majority of women feel their driving suffers when their partner is in the car.

My wife is a pretty good driver, I think. She occasionally doesn’t indicate when leaving a roundabout, which drives me crazy, but beyond that, I can’t fault her. That said, perhaps the mistakes she does make when driving are all my fault.

According to research by Aviva, over half of women (53%) say that having their other half in the car makes them feel stressed and nervous, adversely affecting their driving.

In other words, married women and those in couples reckon they are worse drivers, purely because of their partners.

By contrast, just 41% of men said they felt their driving suffered as a result of having their other half in the passenger seat.

Is this because married women are more tolerant, calmer passengers than married men? Perhaps male drivers are more likely to point out their female partners’ mistakes?

Or could it be just an excuse - and female drivers are blaming their poor, long-suffering husbands unfairly for their own bad driving?

It’s all the fault of men

Sadly, the survey doesn’t go into exactly what it is about the respective partners that causes this deterioration in driving standards. So I'd like to invite all the married/coupled-up female drivers to give their views on the reasons behind the results, using the comments box below. Maybe your husband talks too much, distracting your attention from the road? Or maybe it’s because if the man is in the passenger seat, he’s in charge of directions, and that means even if you get lost he will still refuse to ask any passers-by for help (guilty as charged, your honour).

If anything, the opposite should be true, for both men and women. If your loved one is in the car with you, surely your driving should be at its best, as you are extra careful in order to protect them? Yet the Aviva survey found that just one in ten men drove more carefully when their partner was in the car.

Taking over

A contributing factor to this nerviness for women behind the wheel may be that men tend to take over driving duties. The Aviva survey found that 43% of men claim to be the main driver in the relationship, compared to just 10% of women.

We take over certain types of journeys too – in 78% of cases men are behind the wheel for long trips, it’s the same percentage with motorway journeys and stands at 74% for country roads. Men are also more likely to take over the driving in bad weather.

That’s certainly true in my case – I do all of the driving at the weekend, which is when we are most likely to go on longer, more complicated journeys.

According to the Institute of Advanced Motorists men drive on average 3,500 more miles a year than women, and highlights the importance of regular practice for both partners in the relationship, as that way you get a better awareness of the likely risks of your journeys, and how to deal with them.

How to be a better driver

If you’re going to be sharing a car with your partner, it’s obviously important to ensure you are both as comfortable as possible, and therefore less likely to get distracted and have an accident. Here are some simple steps you can take:

Be supportive. Don’t just point out your partner’s mistakes when they are behind the wheel. Instead, offer encouragement, to help boost their confidence. Just don’t be patronising!
Be prepared. The scouts were on to something! If you plan out your journey in advance (and perhaps a contingency route or two) then you should be equipped to deal with any hiccups along the way.
Don’t let one partner dominate the driving. Instead, split driving responsibilities, particularly on long journeys.
Consider signing up for an advanced driving course in order to improve your skills and confidence in all situations on the road.

Women in relationships may be the most likely to be nervy at the wheel, and therefore more likely to have an accident, but men are at least partially responsible for that. I know that I’m going to try to be a little more supportive, and less likely to point out my wife’s mistakes in future. She certainly doesn’t point out mine!

Gender and car insurance

There are clear differences in the way men and women drive, beyond going into stereotypes about women being unable to park, and young men all being boy racers.

Despite being distracted by their partners, statistics show that women tend to have fewer motor accidents, and so make fewer claims on their car insurance. As a result, women tend to qualify for cheaper premiums than men.

That’s all going out the window though, as earlier this year the European Court of Justice ruled that insurers can no longer take gender into account when setting insurance rates. The change doesn’t come into force until next December, so women still get to enjoy their cheaper car insurance for a little while yet.

However, with car insurance premiums rising by 40% over the past year according to the AA, whatever your gender you’re probably feeling the pain. So be sure to make use of these 25 ways to cut your car insurance.