Men are nearly twice as likely to be convicted for motoring offences than women

Men are nearly twice as likely to receive a driving conviction than women, according to a new study from comparethemarket.com looking at the best and worst drivers across the UK by driving convictions. The research found that 65% of convictions were from men while 35% were from women. Men were also found to be more than two and a half times more likely to have a drink-driving conviction than women.

Drivers in Surrey topped the list for having more convictions than any other area. Last year, 83,230 people in Surrey, or 7% of the county’s population, reported a conviction on their car insurance quote.

The new research, which looked at the number of people who reported a driving conviction on their insurance quote, found that the worst region for drink-driving is Lancashire, which last year accounted for 6% of drink-driving convictions across the country. This is closely followed by Cheshire, Cornwall, Shropshire and Northumberland. Drivers in the worst five regions for driving while over the limit are four times more likely to be convicted for being under the influence those in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Cambridge, the West Midlands and Leicestershire.

The UK’s top five regions for bad drivers

Speeding is the most common driving offence across the UK, accounting for 65% of all driving convictions. Driving uninsured is the next most common offence, responsible for 7% of all convictions, while drink-drivers are responsible for 5% of all driving convictions.

Drivers living in Essex have been penalised the most for using their phone in the driver’s seat and are over ten times more likely to have convictions for being on their phones than those in North Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Merseyside. Derbyshire residents have the most convictions for driving without a licence, followed by Essex, Durham, West Yorkshire and Hertfordshire.

Dan Hutson, Head of Motor Insurance, comparethemarket.com, said: “During 2012, the rules were changed by the EU so that insurance premiums could not be based on gender. However, this clearly shows that many male drivers are not doing themselves any favours and goes someway to demonstrate why men could still be paying more for insurance than women on average. Convictions on your driving record could have a serious impact on the premium you could be quoted. Poor and unsafe driving practices are rightly having a punishing impact on the cost of running a car.”