New data released by the DSA is likely to cause a stir among the sexes as it reveals that double the amount of female drivers fail their driving test due to bad parking, compared with male drivers.
Though women are more likely to fail a test due to bad parking or reversing, their male counterparts are susceptible to failure for failing to acknowledge road signs, ignoring mirrors or driving recklessly.
The data, published by the DSA via freedom of information requests, also reveals that failing to observe junctions and checking mirrors accounted for the most number of driving test failures in 2012.
The data also shows that women performed marginally worse under driving test conditions making 68,217 serious or dangerous faults when taking their practical driving test. In contrast, serious or dangerous faults committed by men amounted to 52,144.
According to driving experts the data highlights clear gender divides when it comes to specific motoring skills.
The figures reveal that women made twice as many faults as men when it came to reverse parking during their driving test.
Female drivers made a whopping 3,367 reversing parking faults in 2012 with men making just 1,652. It was also recorded that women made three times as many mistakes when asked to control their vehicle on the road. Females made 622 errors while males made just 198.
The data also indicates that the most common mistake made by women whilst sitting a test was failing to correctly observe junctions, with 8,612 faults recorded in 2012.
Males may have shown more control when reversing or parking however, the data reveals that men were far more reckless in other areas of the driving test.
A prime example is the reckless disregard of traffic signs with 2,127 men failing to respond to a traffic sign, while 2,050 were guilty of the same offence.
A higher proportion of men also failed to use mirrors before indicating their manoeuvres, 520 instances for men compared with 477 for women. More men also failed the driving test for having poor eyesight, 26 men compared with just 10 women.
In a statement from Pete Williams, an RAC spokesperson, he said: “The debate about who makes the better drivers, men or women, is almost as old as the motor car itself. These results do apparently demonstrate that there are some differences when it comes to reversing and parallel parking. Clearly there are some traits and talents that are more prominent in the different sexes.â€
He added: “Generally men appear to have a lead foot when it comes to the accelerator, while women appear to be more compliant when it comes to speed limits.â€
Critics of the research say that nerves are probably more of a factor than gender when it comes to the UK driving test.
In a statement from the Managing Director of the AA Driving School, Jim Kirkwood, he said: “Problems like failing to stop at traffic signs and issues with manoeuvring are more likely to come down to nerves on the day, rather than someone’s gender. If you fail your test for something like failing to stop or incorrect use of mirrors then you really need to work on your observation skills before you try the test again.â€
He added: “If manoeuvring is your downfall then practice is the key, as well as remaining calm on the day. Learners, regardless of their gender, should get a good night’s sleep before their test, take some deep breaths before they start and try to remember they wouldn’t be taking their test if their instructor didn’t think they were ready.â€
The DSA reports that there were 1.57 million practical car tests carried out in Britain last year, with an overall pass rate of 46.3 per cent.
The pass rate for men was 49.6 per cent, while for women it stood at 43.3 per cent. Ready to take your practical driving test? Visit www.booktheorytesttoday.com – we’ll book your test on your behalf, freeing you from the hassle.
Tags: Driving License, Driving Test, Practical Driving Test, UK Driving License, UK Full Driving Test
