Men report higher driving confidence than women but are also responsible for most serious road accidents, new research shows.
A survey of 2,000 drivers found 86% of men feel safe behind the wheel, compared with 78% of women. Yet Department for Transport data reveals men were involved in 76% of fatal crashes and 61% of all road casualties last year.
The debate over which gender makes the better driver continues. While women tend to be less confident, they’re also more likely to pass their driving test - 48% did so between January and March this year, compared with 44% of men.
Men’s self-assurance extends further: seven in ten believe they could pass their test again tomorrow, compared with 58% of women. Confidence gaps widen in poor conditions too - only 20% of men feel unsafe in bad weather, compared with 39% of women.
This confidence, or overconfidence, could help explain accident trends. There were 1,633 road deaths last year, slightly up on the previous year’s 1,624.
John Kushnick from the National Accident Helpline told The Times: “This isn’t about blame - it’s about recognising a blind spot in how we approach road safety.”
Some point out that men may simply drive more. While UK data is unclear, a 2022 U.S. Department of Transportation study found men drive about 16,550 miles per year, compared with 10,142 for women - roughly 62% of all miles travelled.
When adjusted for distance driven, this suggests that per mile, men might actually be marginally safer drivers than the raw crash data implies.
