Men are paying more than twice as much in speeding fines as women, according to new research from OOONO, the company behind the CO-DRIVER road-safety device.
Male motorists reported spending an average of £804 on speeding fines over the past year, compared with £324 for women.
The data also showed that 21% of men – versus 3% of women – have paid more than £1,000 in fines in the same period.
The survey suggests the disparity stems from driving behaviour, with men more likely to report risky or distracting habits.
According to the research, 43% of men check their phones while driving compared with 26% of women, and 36% say in-car infotainment systems distract them, compared with 15% of women.
Financial impacts also differ: 35% of men say a speeding fine has affected their monthly finances versus 24% of women, while 18% of men have been late paying their mortgage compared with 8% of women.
Back-seat passengers and sat-nav notifications were also more likely to affect male drivers, with 21% citing back-seat distraction and 14% sat-nav alerts, compared with 16% and 8% of women respectively.
By contrast, women were more likely to find oncoming headlights distracting and were less comfortable driving at night or in difficult weather conditions.
Sean Morris, OOONO’s UK Chief Operating Officer, said: “We see, from our research, that men drive faster and take more risks, probably due to over confidence.
“That confidence can be misplaced, and the fines speak for themselves. Tools like CO-DRIVER give all drivers the nudge they need to stay alert, stay within the limit, and avoid costly mistakes.
“The simplicity of CO-DRIVER makes driving safer and cheaper by reducing the likelihood of speeding fines, regardless of your gender.
“Our mission is to give drivers reliable, real-time information without increasing distraction.”
The findings form part of OOONO’s wider Driver Distraction Survey, which also found that 81% of motorists want a screen-free device that warns them of speed cameras and hazards without adding further distraction.
OOONO’s CO-DRIVER provides audio and visual alerts for fixed and mobile speed cameras, traffic incidents and road hazards, without requiring drivers to interact with a screen.
