From the ArcaMax Publishing, Automotive Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/automotive/s-406179-300861
Some drivers – usually the male half of the population – often tar
all women drivers with the same brush: they can't park and they drive
too slowly (which sometimes simply means within the speed limit). But,
car insurance companies obviously recognise the merits of women
drivers, because they offer them cheaper car insurance premiums.
But why should women pay less for their car insurance? Well, insurers
haven't been charging the fairer sex lower premiums just out of the
goodness of their hearts – they are rewarding them for having fewer
accidents and therefore costing them less money in claims, eating into
their profit margin less than their male customers.
And, not only do women cause fewer road accidents than their male
driver counterparts, but when they do have a collision, it is much
more likely to be less serious – a fender bender, rather than an
expensive head-on collision involving other vehicles and a costly
insurance claim.
Statistically, men have a higher number of serious accidents; they
drive faster, they have more powerful cars that have more expensive
parts to replace if they are damaged or stolen, and they get pulled
over by the police for driving too fast on a more frequent basis.
Research has also shown that men are more easily distracted than
women, with their attention being taken from the road while they are
driving, so there are plenty of reasons why women's car insurance is
cheaper.
And we're not talking peanuts when it comes to the difference in cost
between car insurance for men and women. Men have been known to get
annoyed at the great disparity in price between a car insurance policy
for a woman and the exact same cover for a male driver with the same
driving experience and no claims bonus.
Some couples can save money by being on the same car insurance policy,
especially if they live at the same address, but others have found
this doesn't work for them, and find that the best quotes are to be
had by going it alone and getting car insurance from two separate
providers – and even then there can still be a dramatic difference
in the cost for a male and female driver.
Women's car insurance has really taken off in recent years, especially
with the emergence of specialist companies such as Sheilas' Wheels and
Diamond Car Insurance which only offer car insurance for lady drivers.
So, even though women might be more likely to hold you up at the
traffic lights or take a few minutes perfecting that reverse park,
there's good reason why the female of the species gets cheaper car
insurance!
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Women can save hundreds of pounds on their premiums compared to
the same cover for a male driver, as many a couple has found when
applying for car
insurance.