Recent policing data analysed by CompareNI.com shows four times more men than women are committing motoring offences in Northern Ireland.
The data showed that from the 1st June 2022 to 31st May 2023 males accounted for 32,714 of all motoring offences committed in Northern Ireland. In comparison, women accounted for just 7,882 of all motoring offences in Northern Ireland during the same time period – meaning 80% of all offences were committed by men.*
The highest number of offences committed by men were for driving without insurance – while the highest number of offences committed by women were for speeding.
Male versus female drivers per region followed the same trend with male drivers committing more offences than females in every policing district across Northern Ireland. The highest percentage of male to female offences was in Fermanagh and Omagh with 85% male, followed by Newry, Mourne and Down with 83% – with all regions having 75% or more of all offences carried out by males, with an average of 80% across the whole of Northern Ireland.
The highest number of offences overall were insurance offences, with a total of 7,091 detections, this was an increase of 6% on the number recorded in the previous 12 months.
Speeding offences were the next biggest and accounted for 17% of all offences during this period. The total number of these offences increased by 301 (5%) since the previous year, to 6,734 between June 2022 and May 2023 with the highest speed recorded by PSNI officers of 140mph, on the M1, Craigavon.
The youngest drivers weren’t the worst offenders, those aged 30-49 years old accounted for over two fifths of all motoring offences – with the top offence being insurance, followed by speeding and careless driving.
Overall, there were 40,671 detections for motoring offences in Northern Ireland in the time period between June 2022 and May 2023 – a decrease of 2% on the 41,685 detections recorded in the previous 12 months.
Commenting on the latest figures, Ian Wilson, Managing Director of CompareNI.com said: “It’s great to see the number of overall road offences in Northern Ireland is continuing to decrease. I am surprised there’s such a difference in the volume of offences between male and female drivers, especially when it comes to insurance offences with 81% of the offences committed by men.
“Insurance offences are now the most committed motoring offence across the country, increasing by 6% in the last 12 months.
“Those caught driving without adequate insurance can face six penalty points, disqualification of driving and a fine of up to £200. Three points on a licence can mean 5% more on an insurance premium every year for the four years an infringement stays on the licence, six points can push up fees by about 25%.
“Although inflation and a rise in the volume of claims has increased car insurance premiums across the board this year on average, there are still savings to be found, drivers can compare competitive quotes using a price comparison site like ours to help make sure they get what they need at a price they can afford.”
CompareNI.com is Northern Ireland’s largest price comparison website and can help people in Northern Ireland find savings on essentials and everyday household bills such as breakdown cover, van and young drivers insurance. -ENDS-
Motoring Offences detected by the PSNI
| Male | Female | % Male | Unknown | Total | |
| Fermanagh & Omagh | 744 | 130 | 85 | 0 | 874 |
| Newry, Mourne & Down | 1,068 | 222 | 83 | 3 | 1,293 |
| Lisburn & Castlereagh City | 851 | 184 | 82 | 0 | 1,035 |
| Derry City & Strabane | 972 | 219 | 82 | 0 | 1,191 |
| Belfast City | 2,306 | 548 | 81 | 6 | 2,860 |
| Mid & East Antrim | 662 | 159 | 81 | 0 | 821 |
| Mid Ulster | 1,015 | 250 | 80 | 0 | 1,265 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon | 1,560 | 398 | 79 | 5 | 1,963 |
| Causeway Coast & Glens | 680 | 185 | 78 | 6 | 871 |
| Antrim & Newtownabbey | 1,123 | 308 | 78 | 2 | 1,433 |
| Ards & North Down | 477 | 152 | 75 | 6 | 635 |
| Unknown | 26 | 6 | 0 | 32 | |
| Total | 11,484 | 2,761 | 80 | 28 | 14,273 |
by District and Gender 1st January 2023 – 31st May 2023 (Gathered via a Freedom of Information Request July 2023)
Total Offences Per Region Year on Year with Rate per 10,000
| District | Offences June 2021 -May 2022 | Offences June 2022 – May 2023 | Rate per 10,000 16+ pop June 2022- May 203 |
| Belfast City | 8,148 | 7,843 | 281 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon | 6,342 | 5,689 | 333 |
| Newry, Mourne & Down | 4,504 | 4,110 | 289 |
| Antrim & Newtownabbey | 3,756 | 4,087 | 350 |
| Mid Ulster | 3,194 | 3,623 | 312 |
| Derry City & Strabane | 3,198 | 3,378 | 284 |
| Lisburn & Castlereagh City | 2,824 | 3,013 | 253 |
| Causeway Coast & Glens | 2,898 | 2,408 | 211 |
| Fermanagh & Omagh | 2,745 | 2,375 | 258 |
| Mid & East Antrim | 2,291 | 2,124 | 188 |
| Ards & North Down | 1,639 | 1,907 | 142 |
| Unknown | 146 | 114 | |
| Total Driving Offences | 41,685 | 40,671 |
- The latest available data is up to 31st May 2023.
- Data is provisional and subject to change.
- Includes detections which resulted in a fixed penalty notice, speed awareness course or a referral for prosecution.
- Does not include detections by the NI Road Safety Partnership
- For the full list of motoring offences included and further information see: https://www.psni.police.uk/about-us/our-publications-and-reports/official-statistics/motoring-offence-statistics
