It’s official: Men and women can agree

It’s official: Men and women can agree

The 2011 AA Insurance Drivers Index has found that today’s driving habits of men and women are remarkably similar, even when it comes to making long trips over holiday periods. In previous surveys, drivers from Mars and their Venusian counterparts differed significantly in time spent behind the wheel, taking speed risks, attitudes to aggression and even claims.

The 2011 AA Insurance Drivers Index, which surveyed 4,404 male and female drivers aged 18-65, found little difference in driving habits where journey times were said to be more than a few hours. With the long Easter weekend fast approaching, these results show that men and women are on equal standing when it comes to taking charge over the wheel for longer drives to the bach or to visit family.

Some 46 percent of women drivers said they would drive two to three hours before stopping to take a break or swapping drivers, similar to 45 percent of men. For longer journeys, a slightly different trend was noted in this year’s survey. Some 3.4 percent of women said they would drive five or more hours, an increase on last year’s 1.5 percent. And slightly fewer men are willing to drive continuously, with some 2.9 percent of men saying they would take a break after five or more hours, compared to last year’s 4.6 percent.

When it comes to pulling over and taking a power nap during a long drive, some 43 percent of male drivers said they would compared to 40 percent of women. Of the drivers who said they had momentarily fallen asleep at the wheel, 22 percent were female while 22.8 percent were male.

The AA Insurance claims department revealed that accidents caused by driver fatigue are often more serious, resulting in injuries for the driver and others. “This is a timely warning for the coming Easter weekend and for those who are simply worn out at the end of the day,” says Martin Fox, Deputy General Manager, AA Insurance. “For many of us, fatigue is as dangerous as alcohol, it impairs judgment and slows reaction times. If you are tired and driving a long distance, it helps to share the driving, take a nap and stop for regular breaks.”

And the similarities continue…
The AA Insurance Drivers Index also revealed both male (76 percent) and female (75.8 percent) drivers think that motorists are becoming more aggressive. This kind of behaviour can occur when drivers are put under pressure, either from the driving environment around them or because of personal stress.

But when it comes to reacting to aggressive driving on the roads, the majority of men and women (58 percent and 57 percent respectively) agreed that the best way to respond is to signal an apology and concentrate on driving.

“Even though motorists agree New Zealand drivers are becoming more aggressive, it’s encouraging to see that the majority of drivers, both male and female, believe a simple gesture of apology is the best way to handle the situation,” says Martin Fox. “It’s important to remember that increased levels of stress in drivers can lead to safety issues on the road, putting themselves and others at risk of accidents.”

Some 92 percent of women and 91 percent of men both admitted to exceeding the speed limit by 5–10km/h. But when asked by AA Insurance why motorists do stick to the speed limit, nearly half (40 percent female, 41 percent male) of respondents gave safety as the main reason rather than a fear of fines or demerit points.

The average cost per motor claim is very close between the sexes: the average cost for males is $1,621 and $1,485 for females. However, there is significant variation in costs in the age spectrum. Males aged 15 to 19 tend to have the highest average claims costs, often more than double the average cost across all male drivers.

“Our claims records show that women are most likely to claim for smaller accidents, like fender benders in car parks,” continued Martin. “In contrast, men report bigger road accidents.”

A notable trend is that wives often call in to make claims for accidents their husbands were involved in.

Those who are planning to drive any distance over the Easter long weekend may be interested to know which regions report the highest incidence rate of collision in New Zealand, according to the AA Insurance claims data. The highest rates collision across the two islands come from Whangarei women, who reported an incidence of at-fault collisions of 2.5 times the national average, and Nelson men who reported an incidence of 2.1 times above the national average.

ENDS

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