Women are better behind the wheel, according to a study
The battle of the sexes about who is better behind the wheel seems to have come to an end. Surely you have ever heard the phrase: "Woman at the wheel, constant danger". Well, this sentence is totally false according to a study, because the safest driving couple is made up of a woman at the wheel and a man as the co-pilot.
When driving a car is composed in this way, the accident rate is six times lower than that of cars with male drivers and co-drivers.
On the other hand, a study carried out in the United States states that men cause up to 80% more accidents than female drivers.
The perfect couple: woman driving and man co-pilot
One study claims that the perfect couple behind the wheel is made up of a woman driving and the man looking at the map. The investigation has been carried out by the Direct Line Foundation and has received the name of “The co-pilot and his influence in the prevention of traffic accidents. A gender perspective”.
To reach this conclusion, they have analyzed the data of all the accidents that have occurred in Spain (with and without a co-driver) between 2011 and 2013, that is, a total of 255,000. In addition to these data, they have also obtained information from a survey in which 1,206 people have participated.
The results of the report conclude that "the presence of the co-pilot significantly reduces the chances of suffering an accident on the road, because if you travel accompanied the risk drops by almost 35%", as stated by the newspaper The world.
This couple (female driver and male co-driver) has an accident rate six times lower than the male driver and male co-driver couple
According to Francisco Valencia, general director of the Línea Directa Foundation, in the same newspaper, the reason for this report was "to know the profile of the the perfect driver and co-driver and safe conduct at the wheel, because for the first time in 11 years the number of deaths from traffic accidents has increased".
The report also reveals that the combination of female driver and male co-driver has a accident rate six times lower than when the couple is made up of a male driver and a co-pilot man.
Perfect co-pilot: a man between 60 and 69 years old because he does not distract and is aware of the signaling
But there is still more. It is also report reveals the perfect co-pilot profile: a male between 60 and 69 years old, as it does not distract the driver and pay attention to the signs and other occupants of the vehicle (such as children in the rear seats).
The "worst co-driver" profile is that of a young man between the ages of 18 and 29 who spends the entire trip talking, criticizing the driver and bothering him. But a curious fact, when he drives a woman and the co-driver is also a woman, the accident rate doubles. When a man is driving and a woman is co-pilot, it is multiplied by 2.2.
Other studies that affirm that women are better behind the wheel
In addition to this study, other research has also shown that women are better drivers than men.
This same year, a study carried out by the British insurance agency privilege, showed that 28% of women thought they were better behind the wheel than men, and only 13% of men thought women were better at the wheel. But these prejudices about the way women drive were evident in the study, because after assessing the driving of both men and women, and evaluate their driving on a 30-point scale, women obtained a result of 23.6 points, while men only got 19.8.
In addition, when both sexes were surveyed about their perception regarding their driving, men had overrated her driving. For example, when asked if they had driven at the proper speed, 84 percent of the men answered yes, but only 64 percent had done so correctly.
Finally, another study carried out by the North American insurance agency “4autoinsurancequote” in 2007 affirms that 80 percent of the fatal accidents caused in that country are the result of poor driving men. The study concludes that women are 27 percent less likely than men to cause an accident.