WOMEN company car drivers cause more accidents than male counterparts, according to a survey of 25,000 fleet vehicle insurance claims over 12 months by VELO Insurance Services. But men cause more damage than women when they do crash.

The survey covered accidents with repair costs totalling £14 million and found the average cost of an accident involving a male driver was £564, while the equivalent for women was £545.

Women drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents with another vehicle where they are at fault - 26% of all accidents involving women against 20.6% involving men - but the average cost at £734 for women to £831 for men suggests accidents involving women are less severe. Men are more likely to have at-fault accidents such as losing control and leaving the road - 2.05% of all accidents involving male drivers against 1.39% involving women drivers - and the cost is also likely to be higher at £2,012 average cost against £1,811 for women.

VELO director of insurance Tina Neale said: 'Men and women do have different insurance claims. 'Many companies apply risk management techniques to identify drivers who need driver training to reduce their incident rates and costs. This report shows further examination of claims history may be needed to specify the training required. Companies using and offering driver training should consider developing different courses for men and women, as each appear to have different driving habits leading to different types of accident.'t