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It's not your imagination — iPhone users really are worse drivers
- In a new study, Android users scored higher than iPhone users in every safe-driving category.
- Android users bucked traditional demographic trends that normally predict safe driving.
As if there wasn’t already enough rivalry between Android and iPhone, a new study adds more fuel to the fire by comparing the driving habits of both groups.
A new study by Jerry, the car insurance comparison service, analyzed the driving habits of 20,000 US drivers over the course of 13 million kilometers of driving. The team then broke down the results into six categories: overall safe driving, distracted driving, speed, turning, accelerating, and braking. The results were a clean sweep, with Android users taking all six categories as the safest drivers. The category with the biggest difference between the two groups was distracted driving, with Android users scoring six points higher than their iPhone counterparts.
Aside from the overall results, there were a couple of interesting takeaways. Across both platforms, “older people who are married, homeowners, who live in the Midwest, have bachelor’s or more advanced degrees, and higher credit ratings scored highest overall.” However, when looking at each category and demographic, Android users outperformed their iPhone counterparts, even running counter to conventional wisdom. For example, single Android users outperformed married iPhone users, while Android users without a high school diploma outscored iPhone users with advanced degrees. Similarly, non-home-owning Android users scored higher than home-owning iPhone users, while Android users with low credit scores ranked higher than iPhone users with the best credit. In each of these cases, the underlying demographic should have favored the iPhone users.
See also: 10 best driving apps for Android
While there’s no way to be entirely sure, Jerry’s researchers believe this may come down to rule-based versus emotional-based driving. Other studies have shown that Android users tend to be more conscientious and honest, with less inclination to break the rules. In contrast, iPhone users have been shown to display more emotionality, which can result in inconsistent and unpredictable behavior. While Apple and its users may pride themselves on ‘thinking different,’ or being a rebel, those traits may not naturally translate into safe driving.
Bragging points are nice, but the real question we’re asking is: How can we leverage this data to get lower car insurance rates?