Sometimes a question is easy to answer. Other times, it proves more difficult. So here comes the question. How do you tell whether car insurance quotes are based on the biological sex of the driver? If this seems not a very interesting question, here’s a little background. The insurance industry publishes a wide range of information about the way it does business. Recently, it admitted men pay an average of 12% more than women to drive on our roads. Making allowance for the fact women live longer than men and so drive for more years, men pay about $15,000 more than women over the average lifetime. Now back to the question.
When the media shouts long and loud that this is sex discrimination, the insurers produce a pile of statistics showing women are safer drivers. As a general rule, their temperament is to follow the rules of the road. They drive within the speed limits, slowing down and stopping when they should, keeping a proper lookout for other people using the roads. They have fewer accidents and, when they do make a claim, the amounts tend to be small. Why? Because women drive more slowly, the crashes are at lower speeds so less damage is done to the vehicles involved and the people inside. Sadly, men drive fast, take less care and smash into each other and passing trees at high speed. The result is more claims with higher dollar values attached to repair both the vehicles and the people involved.
The insurers say it’s coincidence that women are safer than men. It has nothing to do with their sex as such. The premium rates reflected in the car insurance quotes match the safety records of the individual drivers. It’s only when you look at the national picture you see the trend. If men were to choose to drive like women, everyone would pay less and life would be wonderful. So, if you are a woman, drive safely and pay less. If you are a man, drive like a woman and pay less.
