More men pass their practical driving test on their first attempt than women in Manchester, MM can exclusively reveal.
Information discovered in a freedom of information request shows that an average of 46% of men passed first time last year, compared to 39% of women.
And last year was not just a fluke – more men have passed first time at almost every practical test centre in Manchester for the last three years.
Dr Cary Cooper CBE, a distinguished psychologist and chair of the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences, believes that attitude could be a major factor.
“It may be that men appear more confident in a test than women,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean women are not as good at driving as men, they just appear less confident, and confidence behind the wheel is what the examiner is looking for.”
As well as this, the majority of driving instructors are men, which Dr Cooper thinks could be a contributing factor to the difference between male and female pass rates.
He said: “As a psychologist I think it would be interesting if the data was broken down to see if the same proportion of men and women pass when there is a woman examining them.”
Dr Cooper also believes that male examiners subconsciously believe the age-old myth that men are better drivers.
He said: “My theory would be that a male examiner would pick up the stereotype of women not being as good as men, which would affect their judgement.
“They are not deliberately doing this – they subconsciously think women are less good drivers, because of the stereotype.
“Then, if they fail them because they think that, and then they see the stats that say women fail more than men, the stereotype gets reinforced and becomes circular.”
Interestingly, more men pass on their second attempt too, with 47% receiving their licence after two bites at the cherry, compared to 39% of women last year.
Dr Cooper said: “Cars are kind of a masculine thing, you don’t see cars in women’s magazines, but in men’s magazines you do – driving is a part of the masculine culture.
“Fathers might take you out earlier to learn to drive if you’re a boy.
“I’m not saying fathers don’t take their daughters out driving, but it is more of a bonding masculine thing, which will give boys and men more self-confidence.”
Of course this isn’t to say that all men are good, confident drivers – two Manchester men passed their driving test on their 24th attempt last year, which could have cost a total of £1488 each.
Scott Carroll, a 22-year-old shop assistant from Stockport, conceded that he doesn’t think men are better drivers.
“To be fair, these figures probably just show that men are more confident and cocky in a test,” he said.
But James Lester, his 24-year-old friend, disagreed.
He said: “You can’t argue with the statistics can you?
“It’s not being sexist to say men are better drivers – it’s an opinion, and now the idea is backed up by these figures.”
Picture courtesy of David D Muir, with thanks.
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