The trend for men to take more risks than women at the wheel seems to be borne out, according to a new road safety study by tire manufacturer Goodyear.
The survey focused on the attitudes of parents of inexperienced drivers towards road safety. The study shows that among European drivers, Turkish and Romanian fathers are more likely to be penalized for speeding than mothers. In Romania, 29% of fathers had been caught speeding compared to 7% of mothers. The numbers are similar in Turkey (28% of fathers compared to 6% of mothers).
In Austria, Finland, Denmark and Russia, parents of inexperienced young drivers are twice as likely to be penalized for speeding as mothers. The European Union (EU) average is 24% of men compared to 18% of women[1].
Contrary to this trend, Belgian female drivers are more at risk than men. Almost a third of Belgian women (30%) interviewed admitted to speeding compared to 28% of men.
Goodyear's research is based on a comprehensive survey of more than 6,800 parents of inexperienced drivers (aged 16-25) in 19 countries. This research aimed to better understand the attitudes of parents towards road safety, both in terms of setting an example as drivers, as well as in how they support their children who are learning to drive.
According to previous Goodyear survey of inexperienced drivers and driving instructors, young men are also more likely to overspeed than young women (70% vs. 62%). Driving instructors seem to be aware of this behavior, and the majority of these EU instructors (52%) agree that Western culture glorifies fast driving as a sign of masculinity.
Women are less confident than men on the road
There is huge variation between the sexes when it comes to tire maintenance: 20% of women are not confident about changing a flat tire compared to just 2% of men. While this can be partly explained by differences in terms of physical abilities, there is also a greater likelihood that men are more confident driving in adverse weather conditions (24% vs. 13%).
Goodyear's new data on parental attitudes and behavior towards road safety is based on work carried out in previous years, which covered young people's attitudes towards driving and road safety (2012) and those of road safety instructors. Driving (2013), in a study involving several institutions linked to the phenomenon of automobiles and driving.
