An academic review suggests that evolutionary psychology and neurobiology can provide a better explanation of why young men are so prone to car crashes than theories that focus on driving skills alone.

Entitled ‘Sex Differences in Driving and Insurance Risk', the review was produced on behalf of esure.

It cites wide ranging evidence for the theory that the aggressive, risk-taking behaviour that helped the genes of our ancestors to survive still influences the way that some young men drive cars today.

"Much of the circuitry of the human brain evolved to meet the requirements of societies and cultures very different from our own, those of the hunter gatherer that existed for over 99% of our evolution as a species,” said the report's author, Professor Geoffrey Beattie of Manchester University.

“Our 21st century skulls contain essentially ‘stone-age' brains, and this can help to explain the differences between the sexes in terms of their risk-proneness while driving."