(Reuters):

Women might historically be safer drivers than men, but when it comes to driving convictions, the gap between the sexes is narrowing.

Some 16.8 per cent of men currently have convictions, compared to 9.8 per cent of women, according to an analysis of Confused.com's database of 5.5 million registered users.

However, the online price comparison service told Reuters that the number of female drivers with points on their licence had more than doubled from just 4.8 per cent three years ago.

That has helped push car insurance premiums higher, adding almost 100 pounds to the cost of the average policy for just one conviction.

"There are more professional women on the road than ever before," said Debra Williams, managing director of Confused.

"Therefore, statistically, the chances of women incurring convictions are greater than in the past and they appear to be steadily on the increase."

Women tend to have fewer, less serious road accidents - and, therefore, enjoy significantly cheaper car insurance than their male counterparts.

However, women aged 21 to 25 saw the largest increase in premiums in the second quarter of this year - with prices rising an average 1.4 per cent in the three months to end-June - as their driving record becomes more blemished.