Women drivers are often condemned by men who think they can do better. But what happened when both sexes were put to the test under the watchful eye of a driving instructor? Tamzin Hindmarch finds out.

WHEN Russ Kenny wrote a letter to The Sentinel proposing that women drivers be 'banned from the roads unless supervised by a male', mum Kelly Finney from Bucknall couldn't resist sending a response, stating she'd "never had or caused an accident" and that all the accidents she'd witnessed "have always been caused by men".

As the debate raged on The Sentinel letters pages and website, Kelly was prepared to throw down the gauntlet on behalf of women everywhere to prove Russ wrong.

Russ politely declined the challenge, stating: "I drive an LGV truck, and having passed first time in such a big vehicle, I feel it would be inappropriate for me to take on this challenge as I would win hands down."

However, former Stoke-on-Trent Hackney Carriage Association chair Dave Burgess-Pearson bravely agreed to represent mankind. This is what happened...

First off was 41-year-old Dave, who passed his driving test first time, aged 17, and has been a taxi driver for 14 years.

Stepping out of a huge black Peugeot six-seater taxi and squashing his knees behind the wheel of the little Toyota Yaris, his face was the same colour as the car – bright red.

Twenty minutes later, he and Avanti driving school instructor and owner, Wayne Farmer, based in Kidsgrove, returned to The Sentinel, following a short mock test run which took them to Basford from Etruria, through May Bank and Wolstanton, down Porthill Bank and back via the D-road to their starting point.

The result? Seven minor errors and two serious, meaning in a real-life test, Dave would have failed.

"I was really nervous. Representing mankind, I had set myself up for a fall," he admits.

"I didn't think I'd done too badly, but I knew it wasn't perfect," he adds, shaking his head.

"Jumping out of my taxi and straight into a smaller car I'd never driven before, it had totally different gears, which I found very tight, and a very different clutch.

"I know I've picked up a few bad habits over time, as everyone does, but when you take a test you are overly-conscious about doing the right thing. I found myself thinking, 'Have I done this right? Or did I check my mirrors?'

For Dave, this was not the first time he'd been involved in a battle of the sexes.

He revealed: "My dad taught myself and my sister to drive. My sister had already passed first time, so I remember there was pressure and rivalry when it came to my test, but I passed first time too.

He added: "I don't think I have let men down.

"I think there are just as many bad men drivers as women drivers. If women were so bad at driving, you have to ask – why are women offered cheaper insurance?".

Representing women drivers was Kelly, a 27-year-old nursery nurse, who lives in Dean Street with partner James Frankum, and three-year-old daughter Charlotte.

"I decided to do this because I like sticking up for people," says Kelly, who passed her test first time 18 months ago after four months of lessons.

"All the girls were getting on their high horses about the letter we read in The Sentinel, so on my dinner break I thought I'd write a reply.

"Women are not bad drivers – they are cautious drivers," she adds.

After some difficulty opening the electric window for our photographer, she set off on her mock test around the same route.

Twenty minutes later, Kelly was nervous as she awaited her results.

Alas, like Dave she would also have failed a driving test, with nine minor errors and two serious ones.

"It took me a while to get used to the gears in the test car," she says.

"My parallel parking didn't go according to plan the first time, but I had another go and managed to redeem myself."

Upon hearing she had been narrowly beaten by her male opponent, she says: "Given he has been driving for years and I've not been driving long, our results were quite similar. I think I did a good job representing the women and proving to Mr Kenny that women aren't as bad drivers as he makes out."

The Verdict

Wayne Farmer, aged 34, is a member of the Institute Of Advanced Drivers and Diamond Advanced Motorists, and says that during his years as a driving instructor he has pretty much seen it all.

"One time I was with a lady, and as we were approaching a roundabout I asked her to turn right and she actually started to turn right – anticlockwise round the roundabout – so I had to grab the wheel," he said,

"Another time I was with a man who was about to sail through some red lights, so I to put the brakes on.

"I've seen really good women drivers and really bad women drivers, and it's the same with the men," he added.

Asked how our two motorist volunteers fared, he said: "Dave was so nervous. I could tell he was really trying hard to concentrate, because he'd never experienced what learners have to do today. The standard they have to be to pass their test is really high compared with years ago.

"In the parallel parking his control was lovely, but he wasn't looking behind as much as he needed to."

Although penalised for hesitation moving out from junctions, his major offences were stopping too close to a car in front at traffic lights and staying in the right-hand lane when turning right off a roundabout at Porthill.

Kelly failed with exactly the same serious fault at the Porthill roundabout, and her second serious error was use of speed as she sped up to 34 before she reached a 40mph sign.

"This was only a snapshot test rather than a full-length one," said Wayne, "and to pass you can make as many as 15 minor mistakes.

"Both Dave and Kelly are very safe drivers, and in both cases their driving was of a very high standard. In my opinion, therefore, it was a draw."

Read the letter by Russ Kenny from Burslem which sparked off such heated debate by logging on to www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/kenny

To book lessons, or arrange a mock test with Avanti, call 07974 441194