Yesinsurance.co.uk report that 80% of drivers break law on motorway speeding

Research published by yesinsurance.co.uk indicates that 80% of UK drivers break the law on motorway speeding when driving their car, with men being far more likely to do this than women. The research, which was conducted among 4,000 UK motorists on behalf of online car insurance provider yesinsurance.co.uk, shows that nine out of ten men (90%) admit to exceeding the 70mph speed limit, with nearly two-thirds (63%) saying they have driven over 100 miles per hour.

Female drivers are safer when compared with men, but still display a level of disregard for safety and the law. Just over three quarters (77%) of women admit to breaking the speed limit, whilst a third (36%) say they have driven over 100 miles per hour.

"The research indicates that female drivers are generally safer than men when driving on motorways," said Paul Purdy of yesinsurance.co.uk.

"This correlates with scientific research on driving behaviour, which points to the fact that women are generally less likely to undertake risky manoeuvres or drive at high speed," he said.

Ironically, whilst men are far more likely to speed than women, the research indicates that a third of men (31%) think they are better drivers than women.

However, road accident statistics show the opposite. There are 30% more male drivers than female, but they are involved in almost twice as many car accidents as women.

Road accident statistics which are due to be published next month by the Office for National Statistics show that in 2006 almost 162,000 male car drivers were involved in car accidents in which someone was injured, compared with just over 90,000 female drivers.

"The lower risk profile for women is also reflected in insurance claims," said Paul Purdy. "This means that they can usually obtain cheaper car insurance than men."

Editors notes:
- The research was undertaken in January on behalf of yesinsurance.co.uk by research company onepoll.com as part of a wider project on driving safety and environmental issues.
- A car insurance policy provided online by yesinsurance.co.uk is designed to provide the best deals for drivers with cars or vans that are over 5 years old, which account for around 60% of all cars currently on the road.
- yesinsurance.co.uk is a trading name of yesinsurance Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.