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'Women drive worse than men': Spanish judge

Alex Dunham
Alex Dunham - [email protected]
'Women drive worse than men': Spanish judge
Men at the school had to pay €665 ($900) for their licence while female learners paied €850. File photo: plantronicsgermany/Flickr

A Spanish judge has got himself into hot water after he said a driving school was within its rights to charge female learners more than their male counterparts.

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Judge Javier Albar from Zaragoza, in northern Spain, decided in favour of a local driving school which had argued their decision to charge women more than men wasn't discriminatory.

His reasoning was that official data from Spain’s Directorate of Traffic proved that "every single year, men displayed greater dexterity and better open road skills" than their female counterparts.

Back in 2011, Autoescuela Zaragoza advertised a deal where, for €665 ($900),  prospective male drivers aged 18 to 22 could get as many classes as they needed to obtain their driving license.

The price for female learners was €850.

The matter was taken to Zaragoza's consumer rights group which proceeded to fine the driving school €4,000 for sexual discrimination.

Autoescuela Zaragoza, who argued that even their own data showed male learners required five practical lessons fewer than female ones, took the matter to the city courts.

Judge Albar agreed with the stats presented by the driving school, arguing that it's obvious that a fee that offers male drivers more classes than they need for a higher price won't appeal to them as consumers.

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