• Only one per cent of female drivers can fix common problems at the roadside
• One in eight women (12 per cent) 'frightened' when they break down

New research reveals that thousands of female motorists would be left stranded on the side of the road if they had a minor mechanical problem with their car. Nearly half of all women drivers (46 per cent) admit they avoid lifting the bonnet of their car at all costs and have no technical ability whatsoever, according to Green Flag's 'Mechanical Know-How Report'¹.

Women may now be worldwide experts in fields as diverse as engineering and politics, but it seems car mechanics is one area the majority of women just aren't conquering.

The research shows that male drivers are more confident under the bonnet, with 88 per cent able to diagnose simple mechanical problems compared to only half (52 per cent) of female motorists. Just one per cent of women drivers are mechanically-confident enough to fix common problems at the roadside compared to 15 per cent of men. Eight in ten women (81 per cent) admit they are unable to change a tyre and don't know how to check fluid levels.

With 46 per cent of female drivers saying they have no mechanical ability, this means that four times as many women as men (10 per cent) would have problems with simple tasks such as topping up windscreen washers and checking oil levels.

Perhaps as a result of a lack in mechanical knowledge, a third (32 per cent) of women drivers who have broken-down in the past year felt tense throughout the breakdown experience, and a further one in eight women (12 per cent) described the experience as 'frightening'.

Frances Browning, spokesperson for Green Flag, says: "Our research shows that many drivers lack essential car knowledge. In particular, women told us that they don't feel confident with their motors and often feel tense and frightened when things go wrong. Knowledge is power and can not only help prevent car breakdown situations, but can keep motorists feeling more confident on the roads too."

The research also shows that motoring knowledge comes with age for both men and women. Less than one in ten (nine per cent) motorists aged 18-24 are able to fix minor problems by the roadside, compared to nearly one in seven (15 per cent) motorists aged over 55.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Green Flag provides breakdown services, roadside rescue and recovery 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Green Flag's incident management centre in Leeds manages around 1m breakdown incidents each year
• Green Flag has an average call out time of around 40-minutes (based on research undertaken between January 2007 and December 2007)
• More than 85% of Green Flag customers get assistance within the hour (Internal monitoring between September 2006 - August 2007)
• Around 80% of vehicles are repaired at the roadside (Internal monitoring between September 2006 - August 2007. Excludes extreme failures)
• Customers have access to a national network of thousands of independent recovery agents in the UK and on mainland Europe

Sources

1. Research commissioned with ICM Research by RBS Insurance amongst 2,266 respondents in October 2007

Media calls

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RBS Insurance on 0208 285 8682 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lansons Communications on 020 7566 9708 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For further information about our breakdown cover and tips on car maintenance, please log on to: www.greenflag.com