It has been statistically proven in recent years that women are considerably less likely to be in a driving accident than men. A leading Insurance company has just released figures showing that women are also 150% less likely to have a driving conviction.

It has also been revealed that 18% of all British motorists have incurred at least one driving conviction. 4% were found to have been hit with more than one. The proportion of drivers breaking the law has reportedly risen 4% over the last decade.

However, it is debatable whether British drivers have become more unsafe. CCTV has given the police significantly greater powers of surveillance and those law breaking drivers who may once have slipped through the net are now being caught. There are thought to be more of these cameras per person in Britain than in any other nation in the world.

85% of total convictions are for speeding offences. This is far in excess of the 9% that are for jumping traffic lights. Drink driving offences account for a further 2%. Men are twice as likely as women to take the risk of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Young drivers are the most likely group to act irresponsibly on Britain’s roads. Nearly 25% of men aged 25-34 have incurred at least one motoring conviction. Men in the 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 age brackets are equally likely to have two or more convictions.

There are significant regional differences in the likelihood of drivers incurring a conviction. Just 9% of men and 6% of women in Northern Ireland had a driving conviction against their name. Drivers in the Midlands are apparently far more likely to break the law. The figures are 31.5% of men and 16.6% of women in this area.

Women have, however, grown increasingly likely to have committed a motoring offence in recent years. 15% of all British women currently have a conviction against their name. This figure has risen 4% over the last decade. This still puts them 5% behind the total amount of men who have a conviction.

One potential reason that men are convicted more often than women is that men drive 20% further than their female counterparts, according to the latest Department for Transport statistics. It seems almost as likely that women will be found breaking the law as men.

The closing gap between men and women committing motoring offences is reflected in the costs of motor insurance premiums. Although young male drivers have to pay out about twice as much as young females, premiums are still becoming increasingly expensive for women.

Simon Douglas, Director of the insurance group, said, ‘in 2003, the point at which premiums for both sexes became similar was at about age 60, now it’s between 45 and 50. This is because more women are becoming car owners, they are driving more often and further and are thus more likely to be involved in accidents - as well as commit driving offences’.

‘But whatever your age or sex, insurers take notice of driving offences, especially multiple offenders and this is reflected in premiums. That’s because regular offenders are much more likely to make an insurance claim than those who have a clean license’. ‘Keeping the right side of the law is one of the best ways to keep your insurance premiums in check’.