The result comes from a global survey by Zenavaute.cz, a Czech online magazine for women drivers who asked 1,720 women drivers from 33 countries to answer an online questionnaire.

The same survey reveals that a total of 94 percent of women drive with full or mostly full concentration. Only 6 percent admit they “cannot always focus completely”. The 44 percent who say, “Yes” represent a strong safety-conscious group.

Among those who answered the survey, it revealed that daily drivers are 97 percent confident that they drive safely. Occasional drivers have a markedly higher uncertainty rate behind the wheel (19 percent). This shows that regular practice goes a long way in building driving confidence.

When it comes to age groups, the best focused driver are women over 55. They report the highest rate of “full focus while driving” at 58 percent. Unsurprisingly, the 25 to 34 group has the highest partial distraction rate (8 percent). Middle-aged drivers (35 to 54) predominantly respond “yes, mostly”.

This reveals a paradox. The less a woman drives, the higher her reported level of concentration. Interestingly, daily drivers report partial concentration more often (54 percent “mostly”). Occasional drivers more frequently report “full focus” (65 percent), likely because they approach driving more consciously.

Women are said to be multitaskers behind the wheel as well. Nearly one in two women admitted to “using a cell phone while driving” (48 percent). Their perception of safety thus does not match their actual behavior behind the wheel. When asked whether they drive safely, the majority answered “yes.”

More than a third of respondents (37 percent) “eat or drink while driving”. Another third of the respondents (35 percent) report “being fully focused on driving”. The third most common distraction is “checking on children and providing snacks for them” (18 percent), followed by “smoking while driving” for less than a fifth of respondents (17 percent). Only a small proportion of women (5 percent) admitted that they sometimes “finish their makeup while driving”.

The survey also showed that the most significant source of stress for women drivers is “the behavior of other drivers” (70 percent). This applies to female drivers of all age groups.

It is interesting to note that women drivers were more likely to select multiple answers to this question. For nearly one in three women drivers, the following seven examples and situations are triggers for stress behind the wheel: “traffic” (51 percent), “bad weather/reduced visibility” (36 percent), “time pressure/rush” (36 percent), “searching for parking” (34 percent), “traffic and intersections” (28 percent), “uncertain route” (24 percent), or “a passenger who gives advice” (21 percent).

Other driver behavior is the top stressor across all ages, peaking at 82 percent for drivers between ages 18 to 24. “Stress from a crying child” peaks in the 35 to 44 group (26 percent), corresponding to active parenthood. Older women worry less about “time pressure”.

The vast majority of mothers (76 percent) “always” or “often” check children's seatbelts before setting off. On the contrary, only 2 percent “never check”.

Most mothers find car seat installation manageable. Among women who install a child car seat (75 percent), 77 percent feel “comfortable” or “very comfortable” with installing and adjusting it. Only 13 percent report difficulties.

Nearly half of all female drivers, who are mothers, say that driving with their children in the car “is not stressful” for them (51 percent). However, 23 percent consider driving with their children “to be stressful”.

Women are also very safety conscious when it comes to buying a new car. A majority of them (68 percent) consider a vehicle’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) ratings important or extremely important when choosing a car. Almost a fifth of respondents (17 percent) consider them less relevant.