A new study suggests that female drivers have lower accident risks than male drivers
All those jokes about bad female driving may be just that -jokes. According to new research based on the statistics of female drivers, men are by far the worst drivers out there, accounting for an overwhelming majority of all accidents, and committing far more driving errors than women do.
The study was conducted by an online auto insurance group, and suggests that women receive far too much flak for their driving skills. In fact, the data indicates that many male drivers need a refresher driving course. Approximately 80% of all fatal and serious car accidents in the United States every year are caused by male drivers.
The results of the study also find that women are approximately 27% less likely than males to cause an auto accident. Further, the study reveals that male drivers were involved in about 6.1 million accidents, while female drivers were involved in about 4.4 million accidents.
The statistics for male drivers get worse as we begin drilling into traffic violations. Male drivers are at a much higher risk of drunk driving, and the disparity between male and female drivers is vast. Men outnumber women approximately 3 to 1 in the number of DUI violations. Additionally, according to this site, men outnumber women by far in terms of repeat DUI offenses and felony DUIs.
According to the researchers, it’s no joke how bad male drivers really are. Traffic violations are simply higher in almost every category for male drivers. Male drivers are much more likely to drive recklessly, and aggressively. They’re much more likely to shun seatbelt usage while driving, violating seatbelt laws. They are also more likely to indulge in the kind of behaviors that lead to motorcycle and bicycle accidents, like failure to yield. Also, male drivers are much more likely to drive at excessive speeds compared to female drivers.
All this bad driving has a price. Every year, more male drivers are killed in accidents than female drivers. It’s not just the fact that male drivers drive more numbers of miles that places them at a high risk of accidents, but also the fact that they simply drive more dangerously.
Male drivers are more prone to taking risks, a possible byproduct of those high testosterone levels. Male drivers also seem to be more likely to take risks like excessive driving, reckless driving and speeding. Their driving also suffers from high degrees of aggression. Young teen male drivers are at a special risk of aggressive driving because of the testosterone surge during these years, and possibly because of their love for fast cars. As we all know, this is reflected on insurance premiums (for example, see this breakdown).
Regardless of our age, gender or various other factors, we can all strive to drive safer and hopefully save a life. The single greatest thing we can do is to pay more attention, and be more defensive in our daily driving routine. Also, if we slow down in dangerous areas, don’t drink and drive, and keep our road rage in check, we can all significantly make the roads safer and more enjoyable to drive on for all.
