A survey led by Czech online magazine Zena v aute.cz for women drivers contacted 1,485 female drivers worldwide in an online questionnaire. It revealed that 78% of women drivers consider aggression on the roads to be a serious problem and 69% respondents think that aggressive behaviour on the roads has been increasing.
The survey was carried out during May 2024 in 20 countries around the world (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, UK, and USA). The expert advisor of the survey was Platforma Vize0.
“Through a questionnaire we analyzed how women-drivers feel, what they fear, how they behave behind the wheel, and on roads. The results of the survey are remarkable,” says Sabina Kvášová, Jury of the Czech Republic and editor-in-chief of the magazine Zena v aute.cz, conductor of the survey.
Concerns While Driving
What are women drivers afraid of when driving? According to the study, there are three main topics about which women drivers have concerns: aggressive drivers (22%), accidents (20%) and driving in reduced visibility (20%), followed by skidding (13%) and collision with animals (9%). About 16% of those interviewed think there is nothing to worry about.
It is interesting to look at answers that vary from country to country. For example, aggressive drivers as a main concern while driving was mostly stated by respondents from USA (82%), Spain (31%) and Poland (38%). Accidents as a main fear was represented in answers from Italy (51%), Poland (35%) and Germany (31%). Driving in reduced visibility is a subject of concern mainly for women drivers from UK (52%), Germany (50%) and Poland (20%).
The survey revealed that 78% of women drivers consider aggression on the roads as a serious problem and 69% respondents think that aggressive behaviour on the roads has been increasing.
A survey organizer and member of the WWCOTY jury, Sabina Kvasova stated that the majority of women drivers worldwide sporadically encounter (55%) aggressive behaviour on the roads. Only 25% of respondents encounter aggressive behaviour every day, 20% several times a week.
What Women Drivers Propose
When asked what measures should be taken against aggressors, women drivers worldwide support mainly strict penalties (45%), specialised psychological therapy programme (27%), training of future drivers (20%) and prevention campaigns (6%).
Looking at specific countries, strict penalties against aggressive drivers are supported by women drivers profoundly in Denmark and Serbia (97%), followed by USA (54%) and Italy (50%). Obligation to undergo a specialised psychological therapy programme for drivers and subsequent psychological assessment of a driver’s mental abilities have a strong support in Denmark a Serbia (97%), USA (54%) and in Poland as well as in Columbia (50%). Future drivers must be made aware of the risks associated with aggressiveness on the roads during their training – as a proposed measure is backed in the UK (43%), Italy (42%), Spain (30%). Prevention campaigns on the dangers of aggression were mainly stated in the answers of respondents from USA (45%), Poland (37%) and Germany (24%).
Women influence more than 80% of car purchases in advanced countries. This number will continue or grow in the coming years.