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Who Are Safer Drivers: Men or Women? Women Believe They Are, and Most Men Don't Necessarily Disagree


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WARWICK, RI--September 30, 2011: Although men and women may never agree on who tends to be the safer driver, women are perceived as having a slight edge behind the wheel, according to the latest MetLife Auto & Home American Safety Pulse Poll. However, the survey also revealed that each gender has something to learn from the other when it comes to staying safe on the road.

“Safety knows no gender -- whether a man or a woman is behind the wheel, an attentive driver remains the most effective deterrent to auto accidents.”

According to the survey, only 39 percent of men believed they are safer drivers than their female counterparts, but fully 35 percent of men were unsure which gender is the safer driver. Women, on the other hand, took a much more definitive stance -- half (51 percent) said they were safer drivers than men and less than one-quarter (24 percent) were undecided.

Men, however, do have a competitive advantage when it comes to familiarity with the safety-related automotive technologies developed over the past 10 years. For example, men were nearly three times (58 percent vs. 26 percent ) more likely than women to be familiar with electronic stability control, which helps improve steering and prevent accidents and is one of the most significant safety advancements in recent years. Additionally, almost twice as many men as women (24 percent vs. 13 percent) recognized the safety benefits of electronic stability control for helping make people safer drivers. Fortunately for all drivers, electronic stability control is included in all new car models as of September 1st of this year.

"Despite the long-standing, good-natured debate between men and women about who is the better driver, one thing that's not debatable is the responsibility drivers have when operating their vehicles," said Bill Moore, president of MetLife Auto & Home. "Safety knows no gender -- whether a man or a woman is behind the wheel, an attentive driver remains the most effective deterrent to auto accidents."

Men and women do see almost eye to eye when asked about the technology features they want in their next vehicle. Slightly more women than men (57 percent vs. 53 percent) would prefer to drive a car with state-of-the-art technology upgrades. Among the most-desired technologies for women and men, respectively, are GPS (65 percent vs. 61 percent), forward collision warning (60 percent vs. 53 percent) and rear-view cameras (58 percent vs. 53 percent). And, more than 80 percent of both men and women said they would pay extra to have upgraded technology features in their next car.

Where can you "get up to speed" on safety?

To learn more about new auto technologies and how they can make a positive difference in your driving, consider these informational tips. And remember, if you want to weigh in on the gender debate as well as new auto technologies, MetLife Auto & Home invites you to join the conversation on Facebook.

The findings are part of the second survey in the American Safety Pulse polls series, conducted for MetLife Auto & Home by ORC International, as part of a CARAVAN survey®.

MetLife Auto & Home, a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates, is one of the nation's leading personal lines property and casualty insurance providers, with more than 2.7 million policies in force. MetLife Auto & Home is a part of MetLife, Inc. , a leading global provider of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, serving 90 million customers in over 50 countries.

MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates, Warwick, RI.