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The debate over whether women are better drivers than men is likely to rage for a long time to come.
However, there is one area behind the wheel where they certainly appear to come out on top – although it’s nothing to be proud of.
According to a report, the fairer sex is more likely to swear while out on the road.
Researchers found that almost half (48 per cent) of women use foul language while at the wheel, compared with 40 per cent of men.
Breaking figures down to specific incidents, more than a third of women questioned said they swore when they were ‘cut up’ by another driver, compared to just over a quarter of men.
Those using satellite navigation devices, however, were the biggest culprits in the cursing league. The systems appear to frustrate and irritate drivers with more than half (55 per cent) of those who use one swearing while on the road.
The study, for Direct Line, revealed the younger generation were far more likely to use expletives than the older generation.
Over half (58 per cent) of those aged 20-29 swore when behind the wheel, compared with just 15 per cent of those aged 40-49.
Direct Line car insurance spokesman Simon Henrick said: ‘People often use bad language during times of stress and many normally mild mannered people use expletives to express their irritation when behind the wheel.
The concern is that the use of aggressive language and offensive gestures towards other motorists can escalate an already stressful situation and it can also quite feel intimidating for passengers in the vehicle.’
The study, which questioned 2,013 motorists, found acts most likely to cause swearing included drivers pulling out of junctions without leaving sufficient distance, drivers not signalling and motorists using their mobile phone while driving.
The only motoring incident that significantly upset men more than women is when a motorist uses the overtaking lane when not overtaking, with more than double the number of men (15 per cent) than women (7 per cent) admitting this makes them use foul language.
