A higher proportion of men than women are qualified drivers, one of the reasons being that women are more anxious and have access to free male chauffeurs in the guide of partners, other family members, and friends. It’s one of the economic drivers for self-driving cars, so that women can go shopping more often.

We would naturally expect higher anxiety levels among women to result in lower driving test pass rates, and indeed that’s the case. Statistics over 2007-20 here. A piece in the Guardian here. An extract:

“In an effort to avoid additional “potential anxiety” during tests and bolster pass rates among female candidates, a report commissioned by a government agency has suggested asking people taking a test whether they would like their examiner to be “chatty” or “formal”.

The report by the transport research group TRL said men were found to be less affected by their examiner’s demeanour, while women were more likely to notice and interpret it, and that this might prompt self-judgment and worry about how they were doing…

A spokesperson for the DVSA said it was “committed to equality, diversity and inclusion” and wanted all candidates to “receive the highest level of customer experience”.

They added: “This is an important piece of research by TRL and we’re now reviewing the considerations put forward to reduce inequality in driver testing in Great Britain, and help us further develop the guidance available to learner drivers as they prepare for their tests.”

[End of extract.]

Perhaps a special driving licence should be made available for women, allowing them to drive only if their passengers were “chatty” or “formal”.

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