FIGURES show that women in Kendal are now more successful than men at passing driving tests.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency data shows that of 187 tests taken by male drivers at Kendal Test Centre between April and June, 117 were successful – a pass rate of 63%.

Meanwhile, 68% of 177 tests taken by women were passed over this period, meaning they were five percentage points better.

Figures for this period in 2020 were unavailable for Kendal, when tests were cancelled due to lockdown restrictions.

Women had a success rate of 58% during the same period in 2019 – compared to 72% for men.

In the first quarter of 2018-19, men were more successful than women (63% compared to 62%).

Across Great Britain, 49.2% of tests taken by women between April and June were passed – a higher proportion than during any similar period on record, and up from 47.1% in 2020-21 as a whole.

Though the male success rate also rose, the gap between the two genders (4.7 percentage points) is now the closest it has ever been – previously peaking at 7.3 in 2018.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “The impact of the pandemic means we’re in unusual times when it comes to driving tests, not least because there’s an enormous backlog of drivers waiting to take tests and get out on the road.

"While it’s encouraging that the gender driving test pass ‘gap’ appears to be closing, only time will tell whether this is a trend that continues as the number of people taking tests starts to return to normal.”

Of the five months of available figures for Kendal between July and December 2020, women had a pass rate of 69%, while men passed 67% of tests.