Men pay more than double in speeding fines, new research reveals

Men are paying significantly higher speeding fines than women, with male UK motorists shelling out an average of £804 compared to £324 for women, according to research from OOONO, the company behind the CO-DRIVER road-safety device.

The findings also show that 21% of men – versus just 3% of women – admit to paying more than £1,000 in speeding fines over the past 12 months.

So, why are men paying so much more?

OOONO’s data shows that men consistently report riskier behaviours on the road, suggesting behavioural rather than systemic reasons for the gender divide.

Key findings from the research include:

• Men are more likely to check their phones while driving: 43% vs 26%
• Men are more likely to be distracted by in-car infotainment systems: 36% vs 15%
• 35% of men said receiving a speeding fine has affected their monthly finances vs 24% of women
• With 18% of men being late with their mortgage as a result of receiving a speeding fine compared to just 8% of women, and 10% of male drivers having to borrow money (versus just 3% of women) as the result of a speeding fine
• Men are more likely to find back-seat passengers distracting (21% vs 16%) or sat-nav notifications (14% vs 8%)
• However, women are more likely to find oncoming headlights distracting (57% vs 48%)
• Women are less comfortable driving in challenging conditions, including at night (47% vs 33%), in heavy rain (55% vs 45%), and in snow (52% vs 44%)

Sean Morris, OOONO’s UK Chief Operating Officer, former Chief Engineer of Electrical at Aston Martin and Head of Engineering Services at Continental, 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.”