When it comes to driving, the battle of the sexes could finally be resolved. Since the dawn of time men have always believed themselves to be the better driver, but according to a new survey from the Shell V-Power team* women are having the last laugh as some men are over-rating their driving skills.

According to the survey - which is part of Shell V-Power’s quest to find Britain's Best Driver - almost three quarters of men regard themselves as 'good drivers' and 'very confident' compared to only half of the women polled.

The key problem, according to leading psychologist Geoff Beattie, appears to be one of misplaced confidence, "The problem is that some men may be over confident in their driving ability and this can give rise to greater risk taking. By considering themselves to be superior drivers, some men think they are not at risk. However, official statistics show that men are involved in more accidents than women"

Geoff's comments are reinforced by Department of Transport figures** which show that in 2005, 75% of British motoring casualties involved male drivers, compared to 25% which involved female drivers. Furthermore, UK insurance companies*** report that men are twice as likely to claim on a motoring related incident compared to women.

The Shell V-Power survey also found that:

Age and driving confidence go hand in hand with 73% of 55+ drivers describing themselves as confident at skills such as parking, navigating and motorway driving, compared to only 47% of the 25-34 age group.

Geoff comments: “Years of careful accident free driving can result in genuine confidence, but there is always the danger of being too confident. Older drivers may say that concentration is the single most important attribute to driving, but the evidence shows us that drivers who are over confident can let their concentration slip".

Phillip Schofield was identified as the celebrity the nation most feels would be Britain's Best Celebrity Driver with over 50% of votes. The second most popular was Jodie Kidd with 21% of the votes. Jordan’s driving skills were not rated by the nation, securing only just 2% of the votes. Geoff comments: "Phillip Schofield clearly exemplifies what drivers look for in a good driver. Staying calm and in control on live TV is clearly seen as a highly desirable attribute, much more than youth or athleticism. Pin up’s presumably are seen as too easily distracted"

The Shell V-Power team are currently searching for Britain's Best Driver. One male and one female team battling it out in a series of driving challenges in a quest to be named Britain's Best Driver, led by celebrity team captains Ian Wright and Jodie Kidd.

As part of Shell’s continued commitment to developing performance and movement, Shell V-Power is based on the same high-performance fuel technology that powers Scuderia Ferrari and powers millions of everyday motorists worldwide.

To find out the results and see who really is Britain’s Best Driver, log on to www.shell.co.uk/bestdriver. The winner will be announced on the 14th February 2007.

*Shell V-Power research was conducted by Tickbox.net Total survey sample base: 1,260 drivers

**Taken from the Department of Transport’s Report on “Road Casualties Great Britain 2005” Taken from a vehicle population of 33 million in 2005

*** Sourced from leading Insurance companies; Churchill, Norwich Insurance and Virgin