Are men better at parking than women?

> Download this press release

Auckland, 31 October 2016 – When it comes to who’s better at parking a car, there’s some obvious rivalry between the genders. But if self-belief is anything to go by, men rate their abilities far higher than women.

The 2016 AA Insurance Drivers Survey, which asked 1,068 Kiwis to rate their own parking and driving ability, had some intriguing findings.  While 93 per cent of men rated themselves as confident* parkers (vs 78% of women), 42 per cent considered their ability to park a car as excellent. Women were half as confident on 22 per cent.

“Overall, the majority of drivers surveyed (85%) thought they were able parkers, regardless of gender,” says Amelia Macandrew, Customer Relations Manager for AA Insurance. “Although interestingly, 10 per cent thought they could do with some improvement, while 4 per cent avoided some types of car parks altogether - like parallel parks.”

One AA Insurance customer came to grief while parked in her driveway, when she accidentally put the car in drive rather than reverse and then her foot on the accelerator.  She hit the side of the house, and managed to pin her partner between the house and car. Fortunately his wasn’t a major injury; however she did cause about $10k worth of damage to the car and house.

When it came to driving, 96 per cent of men were just as confident behind the wheel, compared to 90 per cent of women. Thirty-eight per cent of men considered their driving ability to be excellent, while only 26 per cent of women did so.

Yet despite this confidence, male drivers were the most likely to have had an accident – according to the survey 69% of men said they had had an accident while driving a car, compared to 63% of women.

In one example, an AA Insurance customer collided with an on-coming car as he was making a right turn off a busy, main road. He misjudged the gap and speed of the traffic, and caused irreparable damage to the other driver’s $9k vehicle. In another incident, an uninsured male driver drove so closely to a row of parked cars he caused over $11k worth of damage by shunting one car into another.

“Luckily, these customers were covered by their comprehensive insurance, but it just goes to show that no matter what your level of driving confidence, accidents can and do happen,” continues Amelia. “You may consider yourself extremely careful, but you can’t control what other drivers do, so it really pays to protect your vehicle, and your back pocket, from the costs associated with these types of accidents.”

What to do in the event of an accident:

• Check that everybody involved in the collision is okay and call the emergency services if necessary

• Move the vehicle(s) out of traffic if it’s safe to do so

• Keep a pen and paper in the car for writing down detailsTake a picture of the scene with a camera or your phone

• Make sure you get the other driver’s correct registration number, name and contact number or address details

• Contact your insurer and provide as much information as you can

• Don’t try to settle the claim yourself – leave it to your insurer

Breakdown of statistics from the 2016 AA Insurance Drivers Survey

Parking

85% of Kiwis rated themselves as confident in their parking ability (93% men vs 78% women) 42% of men considered their parking ability to be excellent, compared to 22% of women 10% of Kiwis thought they could do with some improvement in their parking skills 4% of Kiwis avoided some types of car parks altogether such as parallel parks

Driving

93% of Kiwis rated themselves as confident in their driving ability (96% men vs 90% women) 38% of men considered their driving ability to be excellent, compared to 26% of women

Accidents

66% of Kiwis have had an accident while driving (69% men vs 63% women)

*Confidence is based on a driver’s self-rating of ‘excellent’ or ‘pretty good’ for their ability to drive and park a car.

ENDS