Women More Popular as Passengers

• Most people prefer women as passengers
• 45% drive more carefully when they have a passenger
• Passengers only very rarely complain about the driving style

Women are considerably more popular then men as passengers in a car. This is the conclusion of a survey of 1,016 drivers throughout Germany conducted by the expert organization DEKRA. 53% of the respondents prefer to drive with female passengers, while only 39% prefer men. Almost one in four (23%) prefer to have children on board. Only one in ten (9%) of the respondents prefer to drive alone.

The presence of a passenger has positive effects on driving behavior itself. For example, 45% of the respondents stated that they drive more carefully when they have a passenger. Men in particular exercise more caution when there are other people on board.

Many drivers (68%) consider passengers to be helpful when driving, for example when it comes to conversation, navigation or providing beverages. Half of drivers (49%) say that they find it easier to stay alert on long journeys when they have a passenger. Only 8% of drivers complain that they are too often criticized by the passenger for their driving style. Women and young drivers are more likely than average to give this response to the question.

Things are not always ideal from the passenger’s perspective, either. One in four passengers (25%) can never relax properly in the car or even feel afraid sometimes. This also affects more women than men. A quarter of those surveyed (26%) themselves state that they give advice on the driving style now and again when they are passengers.

A total of 1,016 people took part in the survey in March and April 2016. They came from all over Germany to one of 35 DEKRA branches for the general inspection.