There are many factors to consider when an insurance company offers you the rates for the car insurance plans. There is one factor that determines insurance rates that simply annoys most men, and that is gender. Many people wonder how one’s gender can mean the difference between affordable insurance and not-so-budget-friendly plans. Who has the upper edge? Why do male and female drivers considered differently when insurance rates are determined?

If you belong to the male sex, you might think this unfair, but the truth is that men pay higher rates compared to women. Why? It is simply because men are more likely to be involved in more serious accidents such as head-on collisions because they tend to be more aggressive. Most of the time, men take a more direct approach in showing their aggressiveness, thus causing more accidents that are driven by rage, or their intense and destructive emotions. These evidences are actually backed by claims of behavioral psychologists. Statistics also show that men are more likely to break the law and that more of them die in car accidents every year, compared to women.

Even the smallest of things, such as wearing a seatbelt, affects a man’s insurance rate. Also, driving at breakneck speed increases his chances of meeting an accident. Since they are the ones who usually have the “need for speed”, they are most likely to be involved in accidents due to over speeding. Men also drink more compared to women. Therefore, the probability that they would be drunk and driving is higher, and the chance of getting involved in an accident is also higher. In fact, studies have shown that men are 80% more likely to be caught drunk-driving than women.

Reckless driving is also noted to be a behavior found in many men, which may also be a result of their aggressiveness. Finally, men drive more miles than women. And as stated in the factors mentioned before, annual mileage also plays a significant role in the determination of one’s insurance rates. Ergo, since men drive more, they travel more, thus, more chances for accidents, and a higher insurance rate. In short, men pay higher rates because they are more accident-prone.

This gender factor usually applies only for those who are between ages 18 to 25. Older than that, the other factors bear more weight in the determination of insurance rates, such as marital status, driving records, occupation, the type and condition of the car, miles drive per year, and several others.

However, there is also a line drawn between the rates of insurance premiums for young and old male drivers. Young male drivers are charged more for insurance than female drivers of their age group, which is 16 to 25. As the age group increases, gender becomes less of a consideration for determining insurance rates, as insurance companies think more about the other factors for rating.