Britain's roads now seem to be dominated by people in 4x4s whose idea of off-roading is pulling onto a verge as they can't fit through a space, in fact a new study shows that the number has doubled in the last 10 years. But who is driving them all?

Women's car insurance specialist Diamond looked at vehicles driven over the past 10 years, and found that the number of 4x4s on the roads has doubled since 1997. However, it's when you look at drivers with children that the results show even bigger changes. Men with children are twice as likely to drive a 4x4 as they were in 1997, but women with children are almost 4 times as likely to drive a 4x4 as they were in 1997, a huge increase.

Diamond managing director, Sian Lewis, said, "Some members of the public are critical of mums using their 4x4s on the school run, and these figures won't do much to deflect this criticism. It wasn't a surprise to see an increase in the number of 4x4s being driven, but I wasn't expecting to see such a big jump for women with children."

Diamond also looked at what occupations are driving the most 4x4s; the list makes interesting reading:

Men
Farmer
Property Developer
Company Director

Women
Company Director
Child Minder
Housewife

Sian continued,"4x4s are seen as a practical way in which to ferry children around due to their size, and some people perceive them to be safer for passengers. They can easily accommodate plenty of children and all the paraphernalia they attract in the same way that estate cars did 10 years ago."