Russia provides women's car insurance as female driver numbers increase

The increasing number of women drivers in Russia has led to insurers offering females in the country specialist car insurance for women, Reuters has reported.

According to statistics released by marketing group TNS-Gallup, of the 142 million Russian residents, two million are female drivers. The number is almost double what it was in 2001.

Natalya Lipatova, editor of new Russian driving magazine Women at the Wheel, told Reuters: "Fifteen to 25 years ago, there were no female drivers in Russia."

"There was only one car in the family and that belonged to the husband, the brother or the father and they did all the driving. Now many more women can afford their own car."

The trend in discounted women's car insurance which UK drivers may benefit from is not reproduced in Russia, however.

Elnur Suleymanov, head of sales at Russian car insurance provider Rosno, told Reuters that discounts were not offered for women because they are no less likely to have accidents than males in the country.

"The difference is in the size of the damage. Women drive slower than men and have less damage in a crash, but they crash more often," he said.

According to the Traffic Police of Russia, approximately more than 35,000 Russians were injured in car crashes and road accidents over the first three months of 2003, a rise of 1.8 per cent on the previous year.



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