Catching up with the boys

We already know that women are better drivers than men. We've actually always known that, but it's still nice that those clever statisticians are providing incontrovertible proof that we can wave under the noses of a certain half of the population. But, if we want to be able to bask in that rosy glow of smugness for much longer, then maybe we'd better have a little look at our behaviour behind the wheel - apparently we're starting to catch up with the hunter-gatherer contingent when it comes to aggressive driving. A joint study between the US and Japan suggests that women are no longer nervous little flowers - hesitating at roundabouts and crawling up the high street. Thanks in large part to the new(ish) ladette culture, we can tailgate, speed and make any number of upward gestures of the finger variety, as it were, along with the best of them. However, and here's the best part, in spite of this our unblemished driving record doesn't appear to be affected. Even in the face of our new girl-racer attitude, men are still hugely responsible for all the road-related naughtiness. Between 1998 and 2002, 85% of all serious motoring offences, and 83% of all speeding incidents were committed by men. This is exactly why the European Commission's attempts to equalize male and female car insurance rates were thwarted (quite rightly) - women are safer drivers, whatever the circumstances and should therefore pay less for their cover. Well, they're not going to use it as much, are they? "We believe strongly in a woman's right to pay less for her car insurance," says Craig Handy of CoverGirl Car Insurance. "Every single statistic that we've ever read tells us that women are a far less risky proposition when it comes to cars than men are, so it's only fair that the amount they have to pay for their cover should be lower." So why exactly are women becoming more dominant behind the wheel? The simple answer is that it's probably the same reason that we're becoming more dominant everywhere (and yes, we do mean everywhere!) Our lives these days are really not unlike the opposite sex's. Strip away the heels and the handbags, and there's not all that much to tell between us. Our jobs are basically the same, our aims (mortgage, swanky car) aren't dissimilar, and we seem to go out there and enjoy ourselves in much the same way. But psychologists add a word of caution (don't they always?). They point out that women and men are intrinsically different and so therefore have different driving styles - and trying to breach the gap too vehemently could spell trouble ahead. Women trying to hard to be more male in their driving attitude could come unstuck - they are simply not equipped for it. It's natural for women to hesitate and be more cautious. They are inherently less competitive than men and don't generally see their cars as an extension of their, um, thing they haven't got anyway. It all goes back to our evolutionary past - men needed to be aggressive in order to eyeball a ferocious woolly mammoth, while women just had to be able to get the cooking pot ready for when he brought it home. It's interesting to note the differences between the top driving weaknesses that the sexes have. For men it's: * Speed-seeking * Taking risks * An aversion to asking for directions * Showing off for peers * Becoming excessively hot-under-the-collar (aka road rage) Women, bless us every one, are guilty of the following: * Hesitating at roundabouts and junctions * Parking * Reversing * Reading maps Point made, or what? Women only car insurance policies are all the rage at the moment. And it's more than just a marketing gimmick - more than just an opportunity to stick pastel pink flyers into newspapers (that then fall out as you get to the checkout) in the hope that we'll call. It actually makes real sense, and could save us some serious money. CoverGirl is a perfect case in point. "We've done our homework on this," says Craig Handy. "And there's no denying that for us it's a simple matter of good business to provide car insurance for women. We can provide a quality service at reduced prices based on all the statistical evidence concerning risk, and our female customers can be certain that they're getting a great deal. Happy customers, happy us!" - END -