Sydney - Watch the pick-up points at Australian airports and women are behind the steering wheel when they arrive but usually relegated to the passenger seat when they leave.

Driving is still considered a man's job - if a man's available to do it.

"Australian men don't like to be a passenger when their partner is driving, and most don't believe women are good drivers," motoring journalist Stephen Corby said.

Corby, editor of Australian Top Gear magazine, pointed to the results of survey of 3,000 of his readers. Only 15 per cent said they felt comfortable when their female partners were driving and almost half admitted they couldn't abide it when their driving habits were criticized by their female partners.

"If they're all such good drivers, why do they crash more often than women?" Corby commented. (dpa)