Study reveals which gender are actually the better drivers

Women are often stereotyped as being bad drivers, but new research shows they are actually more competent than men behind the wheel.

Young men, regular drivers and extroverted or neurotic people are more likely to be distracted while driving, the study found.

Older women were much better at controlling their distractions and paying attention to the road ahead, the MailOnline reported.

Being distracted is estimated to be responsible for an eighth of all road accidents.

Norwegian scientists looked at how personal traits such as age, gender and personality affect driver distraction.

"A recent report concluded that distracted driving plays a part of at least 12 per cent of car accidents in many different contexts and countries, with most estimates suggesting larger numbers", researcher Ole Johansson at the Institute of Transport Economics said.

"I found that young men were among the most likely to report distraction."

People who felt that distracted driving was more socially acceptable, or that it was largely beyond their control, were also more likely to admit driving whilst distracted.

But older women and those who felt that they could control their distracted behaviour were less likely to report a distraction, according to the study published in Frontiers in Psychology.

Along with this, a previous study found women really were more proficient behind the wheel - they just lack the confidence to say it.

When put through their paces in a 2015 study, women motorists comfortably beat men in a series of driving tests.

In the tests, men and women conformed to gender stereotypes - with men more likely to take risks, drive too close to the car in front, cut corners, go through lights on amber or talk and text at the wheel.

By contrast, women are more likely to be courteous and considerate, take care when approaching potential hazards, use their mirrors correctly and stop at lights when they turn amber.

The study by Privilege Insurance concluded: "After years of debate and banter comes the news that will have men running for cover. It is now official: women are actually better drivers than men."

This article was first published on Daily Mail and is republished here with permission.