Men are faster, riskier drivers | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Women drivers crash more but accidents involving male drivers are often more serious because of greater risk taking, a survey by the AA shows.

The AA Insurance Drivers Index surveyed 4336 drivers aged between 18-65, with 536 of these from Canterbury.

It showed 53% of Christchurch men admitted breaking the speed limit most of the time, compared with 39% of women.

New Zealand Transport Agency statistics showed there were 897 crashes in Christchurch last year.

These involved 1520 drivers, as there was often more than one vehicle in each accident.

Of these, 927 were male and 589 were female, and four genders were not recorded. Eleven of the crashes were fatal and 162 were serious.

Causes of accidents included alcohol and drugs, failing to stop or give way, inattention, losing control while overtaking, showing off, driving too fast for the conditions, and fatigue.

While women were deterred from speeding because of safety,

fears, it was the fear of demerit points that held men back, the survey showed.

When asked if it was okay to drive after a few drinks as long as they felt capable, 21% of men and 12% of Christchurch women said yes. More men (21%) than women (7%) also admitted altering their driving route to avoid police checkpoints.

AA Insurance deputy general manager Martin Fox said that while women crashed more often, men's crashes cost more.

When men were at fault in an accident, the average claim was $2450, whereas women's claims, when at fault, averaged $2257.

"Our claims data shows that women make slightly more claims than men

but women's claims also cost less", he said.

"Despite being the gender that takes more risks on the road, men are clearly more confidant in their driving abilities both in time spent behind the wheel and confidence in their abilities to teach others to drive."