Need for speed: Women challenging the stereotypes

There will probably always be a divide between men and women when it comes to the road. Men believe women are more likely to damage a car while trying to apply mascara, and women believe men are more likely to have an accident by showing off in front of their friends. The belief that one’s own sex is the better driver is something that has shaped perceptions for years and given birth to many stereotypes.

It is obvious that only one half of the argument can be right. In fact, statistics show that men are much more likely to be involved in an accident than women. In 2005, almost 172,000 male car drivers were involved in car accidents, compared with just over 93,000 female drivers.

These statistics may not actually be as revealing as they at first seem. There are many reasons why more accidents involve men than they do women, one important one being that men actually drive further. In the UK, the average annual distance travelled by men is, on average, 19,000 kilometres, with women travelling closer to 13,000 kilometres. When allowances are made for these relative numbers, crash rates between the sexes are very similar.

Indications are, however, that when accidents do occur, male drivers’ crashes tend to have more serious results than females. The fatality risk for male drivers is much higher than that for women drivers and insurance claims are substantially larger. As a result, many insurers provide deals aimed at women only – a safer bet when it comes to avoiding serious vehicle damage, seemingly due to the old stereotype that men drive faster.

There are women who are making efforts to dispel that myth. Danica Patrick is one woman who is proving to have just as much passion for speed. The 26-year-old auto-racing driver became the first woman ever to win an Indy Car race in 2008, in the Indy Japan 300, cementing her position as top female racer in the world and gaining huge interest from the racing business.

In one incident in 2007, she even managed to further fuel the assumption that women are safer drivers, by avoiding damaging her car in a dramatic incident at the Chicagoland Speedway. In the last race of the season, the driver was in the top six. With seven laps of the race left and needing to stop for fuel, Patrick entered the pit lane and spun out of control. She managed to avoid causing any damage to her car and was able to refire the engine, make a complete pit stop and re-enter the race, finishing 11th overall.

Patrick has recently even gained interest from the Formula One world, with Honda reportedly being keen to discuss possibilities, as their engines power the Andretti-Green team she races for. Most women car insurance is designed to cover the odd bump or the slight scratch, but for Danica Patrick, the perils are far more dramatic.

Daniel Collins writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.