RoadSafe: Women are safer drivers than men

Women are much safer on the country's roads than their male counterparts as they take fewer risks, it has been asserted.

They generally drive at slower speeds as they have a generally more caring nature, noted Adrian Walsh, Director of RoadSafe.

"As far as safety is concerned, women are much safer drivers than men in almost every respect," he commented.

In response to suggestions that women are not as good at maintaining their vehicles as men, Mr Walsh said there was "no evidence" to suggest this is the case.

Earlier this month, Sainsbury's Car Insurance warned of the dangers of installing second-hand child car seats as it is not possible to know whether they have previously been damaged.

Its research found that 14% of car seats in use have been passed down from friends or family and may have been bought second-hand.

The company advised consumers to try out its car insurance policy which replaces car seats as standard after an accident.

Mark Monteiro, uSwitch insurance expert, says: "Women may be less likely to make insurance claims, however statistics and reports from the National Statistics Office and other agencies suggest that women actually have more accidents than men over the age of 30. When you break it down in terms of the number of accidents for every thousand miles driven, men have a better driving record (when young male drivers are excluded from the figures). Men are more likely to be involved in more serious accidents and fatalities which need to be claimed via an insurance company, while women are more likely to be involved in more smaller accidents which they will pay for themselves, rather than claiming."