Women 'better and safer drivers than men'

Melbourne, Apr 9 (ANI): Women could be far ahead of men when it comes to driving skills as males are more likely to speed, crash and, tragically, die behind the wheel, according to a new study.

From comparatively simple tasks like parallel parking to more challenging behaviour on busy highways, women have emerged as safer and more skilful motorists all round.

In the 12 months to the end of February, four times as many male drivers were involved in fatal accidents.

And a recent study by the University of New South Wales Transport and Road Safety research unit found that whether men were drivers, passengers, motorcyclists or pedestrians, they were 1.6 to 1.7 times more likely to be killed on the road, News.com.au reported.

"Males are certainly at higher risk than females, whether it's per car, per head of population or per the kilometres travelled," said road safety chair Professor Raphael Grzebieta.

"They are simply more risk-prone and females are more risk-averse."

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures reveal that men accounted for over 72 per cent of all driving offences recorded by police in NSW in the 12 months to last September.

That equate to male drivers being held for 470,000 offences in a year, including more than 164,000 cases of speeding.

Additionally, men are also losing control of their vehicles and putting lives at risk in far greater numbers.

This could be partly because men do a lot more driving than women.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures indicate that female drivers account for just one-third of total motor vehicle travel on Australian roads.

However, NSW Centre for Road Safety general manager Margaret Prendergast asserted that even with that imbalance, male drivers were "significantly over-represented" in serious accidents, accounting for almost 80 per cent of fatal crashes.

While young males are historically the most reckless drivers, most men irrespective of age have worse driving habits than women, according to veteran driving instructor Russell White.

"After sitting next to drivers for 22 years, experience has shown me that females are better. When you train ladies you generally find they will be much better on the brake pedal and are often far easier to teach, because you're not having to unwind a whole heap of bad habits," he said.

But White, who is also CEO of the Australian Road Safety Foundation, insisted that young, inexperienced female drivers were increasingly adopting the aggressive style of driving once seen mostly in younger men. (ANI)