The bar charts compare the proportion of males and females who had driver’s licenses in a particular European country between 1976 and 2006, and the percentage of young drivers aged 17-20 in 1996 and 2006. Overall, the share of license holders experienced an upward trajectory among both genders over the period, with men consistently recording higher figures than women. Of particular note is that the proportion for young drivers aged 17-20 declined significantly for both sexes.
Looking first at the driving license holders, approximately seven out of ten males had a driving license in 1976, compared to around 30% for women. The figure for the former remained stable over 5 years, after which it increased marginally to about 72% in 1986. A figure that then showed a further rise to around 78% in 1996, before reaching a peak of 80% in 2001, and remaining static in the final year. The figure for the latter, on the other hand, rose steadily to almost 50% in 1996, after it increased further to 53% in 2001 and 60% in 2006.
With regard to 17-20-year-old drivers, in 1996, young males made up by far the largest share of 50%, which was comparatively higher than females with 30%. By 2006, both sexes had seen noticeable decreases, with the percentage of males dropping to about 45%, whereas the corresponding scale for females dipped to 20%