Do Men or Women Get in More Car Accidents?
Men are involved in far more car accidents than women in the UK. Department for Transport data consistently shows male drivers account for around 76 per cent of road fatalities and 61 per cent of all casualties.
This gap exists even after accounting for the fact that men drive more miles on average. Research shows male drivers have a higher accident rate per mile driven, making the difference a matter of risk behaviour rather than just exposure.
The disparity is most pronounced among younger drivers, where male accident rates are at their highest. It narrows with age as experience accumulates and risk-taking behaviour decreases.
Men, by a wide margin — Department for Transport figures put male drivers at roughly three quarters of those involved in fatal collisions. The gap is widest among the youngest drivers and narrows steadily with age. One thing it cannot do is change your quote directly: since the 2012 EU gender ruling, insurers are not permitted to price on sex.
Compare car insurance quotes on the factors that actually count.
What do the UK statistics show?
Male drivers are overrepresented in almost every serious accident category, from fatal collisions to single-vehicle crashes. The gap is widest in the most severe incidents.
How do male and female accident rates compare?
| Measure | Male drivers | Female drivers |
| Share of road fatalities | 76% | 24% |
| Share of all road casualties | 61% | 39% |
| Serious collision rate per 10 million journeys | 2.8 | 1.04 |
| Admitted driving over 100 mph | 30% | 9% |
| Failed breathalyser tests (share) | ~67% | ~33% |
Women are involved in more minor incidents, particularly low-speed manoeuvring collisions and junction-related bumps. However, these are far less likely to result in serious injury or death.
The severity of male-involved accidents is what drives the statistical gap. Men are roughly two to three times more likely to be involved in a serious collision per mile driven.
What about single-vehicle accidents?
Men account for roughly 80 per cent of single-vehicle collisions where no other road user is involved. These incidents often involve excessive speed, alcohol, or fatigue.
Single-vehicle crashes are a strong indicator of driver behaviour because there is no other party to share responsibility. The overwhelmingly male profile of these accidents reinforces the link between risk-taking and accident rates.
Which age group has the biggest gender gap?
The gap is widest among drivers aged 17 to 25. Young male drivers are the highest-risk group on UK roads, combining inexperience with a greater tendency toward risk-taking behaviour.
Why are young male drivers so much more at risk?
This age group combines two risk factors that compound each other. Inexperience affects all young drivers, but the tendency toward higher speeds, closer following distances, and riskier overtaking is more pronounced among young men.
The gap narrows considerably after age 35. Drivers over 50 show a much smaller difference between male and female accident rates, as experience and maturity reduce the behavioural factors that drive the disparity.
Among drivers aged 17 to 19, male fatal collision rates are roughly four times higher than female rates for the same age group. This is the most extreme disparity of any demographic slice.
Why do men have more accidents?
Research from road safety organisations including Brake points to a combination of behavioural, psychological, and exposure factors.
What behavioural factors are involved?
Male drivers are consistently more likely to speed, drink-drive, and drive aggressively. Police data shows men are roughly twice as likely to fail a breathalyser test as women.
Seatbelt non-use is also more common among male drivers. While this does not cause accidents, it sharply increases the severity of injuries when they occur.
Does overconfidence play a role?
Psychological research consistently finds that male drivers overestimate their own ability and underestimate risk. This confidence gap leads to taking chances that their actual skill level does not support.
Female drivers tend to be more cautious and self-critical about their abilities, which translates into more defensive driving and fewer high-risk decisions on the road.
Does mileage explain the difference?
Men drive roughly 10 to 15 per cent more miles per year than women on average. Higher mileage means more exposure to risk, which contributes to higher absolute accident numbers.
However, mileage alone does not explain the gap. The per-mile accident rate is also higher for men, meaning the difference is about how they drive, not just how much they drive.
The National Travel Survey shows men average around 7,900 miles per year compared to 5,500 for women. Even adjusting for this 44 per cent exposure difference, the collision rate per mile remains higher for male drivers.
How does the gender gap affect insurance?
Since December 2012, insurers cannot use gender as a direct rating factor when setting premiums. The EU Gender Directive, following the Test-Achats ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, prohibited gender-based pricing across all insurance products.
How are the risks reflected in premiums?
Insurers capture the underlying risk through other rating factors. Age, vehicle choice, driving history, occupation, and annual mileage all correlate with the behaviours that make certain drivers statistically higher risk.
Our guide on car insurance costs explains how these factors combine to determine what you pay.
Black box insurance can particularly benefit young male drivers. By measuring actual driving behaviour, telematics policies reward safe drivers with lower premiums regardless of their demographic profile.
What can drivers do to reduce their risk?
The statistics describe populations, not individuals. Any driver who adopts safer habits can reduce their personal risk.
Our guide on lowering your car insurance premium covers practical steps that apply to all drivers regardless of age or gender.
What are the most effective steps?
Observing speed limits is the single most impactful controllable risk factor. Speed affects both the likelihood of a collision and the severity of the outcome.
Never driving impaired by alcohol, drugs, or fatigue eliminates another major risk factor. Always wearing a seatbelt and maintaining a safe following distance are simple habits that make a measurable difference.
Choosing a lower-powered vehicle, especially as a first car, removes the temptation to test high speeds. Insurers also rate smaller-engine cars as lower risk, which directly reduces your premium.
Consider a telematics policy that rewards safe driving with lower costs over time. Drivers who prove their ability through real data can offset demographic risk factors entirely.
Advanced driver training courses that address risk perception and overconfidence can change behaviour patterns permanently. These are available through organisations such as IAM RoadSmart and RoSPA.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, DfT data consistently shows male drivers are involved in far more serious and fatal collisions. Even after adjusting for higher average mileage, men have a higher accident rate per mile driven.
Not directly, because the EU Gender Directive has prohibited using gender as a rating factor since December 2012. However, insurers use age, vehicle type, and driving history, which correlate with risk differences between male and female drivers.
Statistically, women have lower rates of serious and fatal accidents and engage in fewer high-risk behaviours. However, individual driving ability varies enormously regardless of gender.
The combination of inexperience and a greater tendency toward risk-taking behaviour creates a uniquely high-risk profile. This is most pronounced in male drivers aged 17 to 25.
Yes, the difference is greatest among drivers under 25 and narrows considerably in older age groups as experience accumulates and risk-taking behaviour decreases.