Men lose battle of reverse

Roger Patterson, from Patterson Driving School, believes men can be a little over-confident behind the wheel.

Heidi Costello

Poll

Are men or women the better drivers? Or are they equal?

This poll ended on 19 April 2010.

Men are better

33%

Women are better

0%

They're equal

66%

I'm not getting into this argument

0%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

RESEARCH has found men are 10 per cent more likely than women to crash when reversing, and local driving instructor Roger Patterson says he can believe it.

“Men may be a bit more over-confident,” said Mr Patterson, of Patterson Driving School.

“Women tend to be a bit more cautious.”

Thanks to dual-controls in his car, Mr Patterson has never had any major problems with over-excited reversing students.

“Numerous times they’ve gone up the gutter onto the grass,” Mr Patterson said.

“But with dual controls it’s not a problem. You let them go a bit so they realise what they have done.”

NRMA Insurance corporate affairs manager Sue Hawkins said all drivers needed to take more care when reversing.

“One in five accidents involves reversing,” Ms Hawkins said.

“We’ve found from looking at a variety of different collisions, men tend to be more confident and sometimes they’re not taking enough care.

“Men also tend to be more risk-takers than women. Women are generally just more cautious.”

However, Ms Hawkins does recognise there are exceptions to the rule.

The survey of 500 people, carried out by Pure Profile Research in February found nearly 60 per cent of men said they were very confident when it came to reverse parking.

Women, on the other hand, are far less confident in reverse, with less than a quarter of the survey respondents rating themselves as confident when heading backwards into a parking space.

Ms Hawkins said regardless of whether you are male or female, the message is to always take extra care when reversing.

“Pause, check your rear-view mirror and look over your shoulder as a final step before reversing to avoid any unnecessary collisions,” she said.

“We’re also pleased to see more cars with reversing cameras and sensors which can help us check blind sports and judge distance better.”

The NRMA estimates there are about 120 reversing mishaps each day and that 13 per cent of those involve reverse parking.

Last year it called for car manufacturers to continue the trend towards selling new cars with reversing cameras installed after finding most Australian passenger cars offered poor rear visibility.

Reversing tips

Be alert at all times and watch for other cars

Go slow and don’t just rely on mirrors – look over your shoulder as well

Reversing cameras and sensors can help, but drivers still need to be aware of what’s around them

Treat your driveway like a road – check thoroughly for cars and pedestrians