It's official: right-handers rule the world

• New research by Privilege Car Insurance reveals that right-handed people are better drivers than their left-handed counterparts
• Study looked at major and minor accidents, fines received, licence points amassed, and number of times it took individuals to pass their driving test
• Left-handed drivers get one and a half times more speeding fines than right-handed motorists, and are more likely to get parking fines, and be involved in major accidents 
   

New research commissioned by Privilege Car Insurance has revealed that right-handers rule behind the wheel, beating their left-handed counterparts when it comes to driving. 

Right-handed drivers are far less likely to receive speeding tickets than those who predominantly use their left hands, with left-handers receiving one and a half times, or 47 per cent, more fines than right-handers overall (28 per cent versus 19 per cent respectively).

Motorists who consider themselves to be right-handed are also less likely to receive parking fines than left-handed drivers (23 per cent versus 26 per cent).

Additionally, right-handers are involved in fewer car accidents, with motorists who have a preference for using their right hand responsible for one less accident than their left-handed counterparts over the course of a 60 year ‘driving lifetime’ (eight accidents versus nine).

Even when it comes to points on their licences, right-handers come out best. Left-handers are likely to have 33 per cent more points on the record than right-handed drivers, even though the overall figures are reassuringly small (0.5 points versus 0.7 points on average).

Yet despite being poorer drivers overall, left-handers are more likely to pass their test first time round (53 per cent versus 49 per cent), and they also tend to have fewer minor bumps and scratches in the car than right-handers (38 per cent vs 35 per cent).

Charlotte Fielding, Head of Privilege Car Insurance, comments: “There are lots of theories about whether or not being left handed or right handed affects your intelligence, creativity and artistic ability – so we wanted to examine this theory amongst drivers.

“While it’s interesting to see that right-handers have come out on top almost across the board, people can rest assured that we won’t be amending our policies to take this detail into account anytime soon.”

Driving C.V. of left-handed and right-handed drivers

Source: Privilege Car Insurance

ENDS
 

For more information, please contact: Fran Langdon or Laura Nugent at Van Communications:

fran@rtc.london / laura@rtc.london / 020 3179 0720

Notes to editors:

Research was conducted by Opinium via online interviews amongst a nationally representative sample of 2,006 UK adults, of which 1,406 were drivers. Research was conducted from 3rd to 7th March 2017.

Privilege

Privilege Insurance specialises in car insurance for safe drivers. It also offers home insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line.

Privilege general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Privilege and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  

Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 0515 or visiting www.privilege.co.uk