There are two sides to every story, especially when it involves a battle of the sexes. Different battles of the sexes have been ongoing since women were allowed to get driver’s licenses. Ever since that day, there has been continual conflict over whether male drivers or female drivers cause more accidents. Depending on what statistics that are used, men overwhelmingly cause more motor vehicle accidents. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concluded that more men than women are involved in, injured in or die in car accidents than women. Men represented 71% of the casualties. Women represented 39%. Here are some of the reasons for the significant disparity in percentages:
- Risky Business: Men participate in behavior with a higher risk factor when driving than women. They’re less likely to obey traffic laws or wear seat belts than women, but more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of the two.
- Men Put More Miles on a Vehicle Than Women: The logic here is simple. The more time that you spend on the road, the higher the likelihood is that you’re going to cause an accident.
- The Need for Speed: Men under the age of 34 are about twice as likely to die in a crash involving excessive speed. High speeds reduce a driver’s ability to avoid an accident and drastically increase the possibility of severe injuries or death.
Two Sides to Every Story
According to the Post-Standard in Syracuse, researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed 6.5 million car accidents in the United States, and they found that female drivers were involved in more than 68% of all crashes. This number is indeed surprising as men were found to drive 60% of the time while women were driving 40% of the time. What those numbers imply is that women get in more accidents than men despite spending less time on the road than men.
Female Drivers and Intersection Accidents
A finding of the University of Michigan study showed that intersections were troublesome for female drivers. In must intersection accidents, women were broadsided on the driver’s side when trying to make left turns or struck on the passenger side when trying to make a right turn. The fact that women are typically shorter than men might explain the higher rate of intersection crashes. One male commentator remarked that as men do most of the driving, female passengers are less experienced and confident when they get behind the wheel and more likely to be involved in accidents.
Maybe the best people to inquire with are auto insurers. Their livelihood depends on accurate statistical data. The difference in premiums charged for middle-aged men and women is negligible, only amounting to a few dollars. For drivers under the age of 25 though, it’s unequivocal that young males pay significantly higher premiums than females of the same age. There’s nothing complicated about that finding. Males under the age of 25 are far more likely to engage in risky driving behavior that causes accidents.
