Guys beat girls in driving test race

Men take the lead when it comes to learning to drive, if only just.

Men take the lead when it comes to learning to drive, if only just.

Published Nov 29, 2013

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London - The battle of the sexes rages on when it comes to deciding who’s best at driving.

On the theme of learning to drive, however, it seems we have a winner. Sorry ladies, men are better at it, according to official figures. But only just.

Men not only learn to drive faster, they are also more likely to pass their test first time, research found.

This year nearly half of men – 48 percent – who took their test passed first time, compared to 44 percent of women, according to figures obtained from the Driving Standards Agency.

CONFIDENCE COUNTS

A separate poll found women take an average of eight months to their pass their practical driving test, compared to six months for men.

However, confidence may play a part in the small disparity.

Nearly four out of ten of men polled believe they are better drivers than women, compared to a quarter of women who think they are more competent behind the wheel. The research carried out for price comparison website Confused.com also revealed how younger drivers have more success in tests.

The pass rate of 47 percent for 30-year-old men is significantly lower than for the 58 percent rate for 17-year-olds.

By the age of 50, chaps are even less likely to pass, with a 41 percent success rate. Similarly, 55 percent of females who take their test at 17 will pass compared to 44 percent at 20 and 32 percent at 50.

This year the average age of learners taking their test increased from 23.4 last year to 23.5.

Ministers are currently planning reforms to training for young drivers, including a possible one-year minimum probationary period before they can take their test and restrictions on numbers of passengers in the car.

Some 44 per cent of drivers support increasing the driving age to 18 years, while one in five thinks the current methods of testing driving need to be more challenging. -Daily Mail

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