Posted & Reviewed by Scott Armstrong - Jan 20th 2025
Do men or women get in more car accidents? Statistics show that more men than women are involved in car accidents. The explanations given for this are usually longer drives, driving under riskier conditions, and the employment of risky driving practices such as speeding or driving while intoxicated. While women are less likely to have accidents, they will have a higher chance of injuries should an accident occur. Possibly related to this is the fact that male body structures have been a leading factor in the safety features of automobiles through the decades, which can cause them disadvantages in case of a collision. These differences not only concern the probability of an accident but also the severity and outcomes of injuries, which make the issue even more complicated. At Armstrong Lee & Baker LLP, we understand how these dynamics form car accident cases. We offer custom legal representation to the Houston people, making sure those who have been affected by an accident are fairly represented with maximum compensation.
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Studies consistently show that men are more frequently involved in car accidents than women. Research from the NHTSA shows that most of the traffic crashes in which a driver was killed were male drivers. Contributions to this trend are partly risk-taking behaviors, which men exhibit more of on an annual basis due to higher mileage and the larger chance of engaging in such hazardous driving practices as speeding, aggressive lane changes, or driving under the influence. These tendencies put them in a position where it becomes statistically more probable they will be involved in crashes.
While women have a lower probability of being involved in car accidents, their chances of injury from the crash are considerably higher. In the event of an accident, women are at greater risk because the designs of cars and the regulations around crash testing primarily reflect male physiology, numerous studies have shown. For example, women have smaller bodies and different body shapes, meaning safety features such as airbags and seat belts are less effective than they could be. It exposed a significant flaw in car safety regulations that ended up affecting female drivers and passengers.
Moreover, these data are skewed because a greater proportion of men are involved in high-risk driving situations, like driving at night or on country roads, which are more likely to lead to serious collisions. Women’s lower accident rates are partly due to the fact that women typically drive more defensively, adhering to speed limits and avoiding dangerous overtaking situations.
In the US, men are more likely to be at fault for auto accidents. The CDC reported that in 2019, men accounted for 73% of all motor vehicle fatalities, as men have a greater tendency than women to drive recklessly, which includes failure to buckle up, speeding, and driving under the influence. Each of these contributes to raising the likelihood of a crash and its severity. The overall rate of crashes is lower in women. Nonetheless, when they do get into an accident, women also have a higher likelihood of getting severely injured.
Part of this difference is biomechanical: traditional crash-testing has tended to focus on the male body type. The result is that safety features—seatbelts and airbags—save fewer female drivers and passengers than they otherwise might, because these devices have been developed to work well only with male body types.
The crash data disparity stretches beyond behavior. Men’s higher exposure to high-risk driving environments—such as highways and rural roads—compounds the rates of their accidents. In contrast, women often drive with caution, getting fewer speeding tickets or being involved in dangerous maneuvers while driving. These safer practices do not, however, afford full protection to women in view of the previous failures in safety design.
Men’s car crashes, on the other hand, are most likely to lead to higher fatalities compared to women, due to engaging in some risky behaviors like over-speeding, not using seatbelts, and driving under the influence, hence highly predisposing to the risk of fatal accidents. Moreover, men tend to drive big vehicles like trucks and SUVs, that have a higher kinetic energy upon impact, which leads to deadly collisions. This combination of factors explains the higher fatality rates associated with men’s accidents.
Women’s crashes, although less frequent, are more likely to result in injuries. Largely due to years of vehicle safety designs predicated on the male physique, women are more likely to be injured or killed in a crash than their male counterparts. Body structure differences and smaller stature are among some of the factors that potentially render safety features like airbags and seatbelts less effective for women, and thus also affect their injury rates in comparable accidents. Those disparities point out the necessity for improved standards of safety to consider all drivers and passengers.
While women’s involvement in lower-speed collisions reduces the risk of mortality but increases the possibility of non-fatal injuries, men’s involvement in high-impact and high-speed occurrences also results in a higher number of fatalities.
Men are more likely than women to get traffic penalties for infractions such as speeding, reckless driving, and running red lights. Most research shows that the male driving pattern incorporates more risk-taking elements, which means he might be getting a lot more tickets. Speeding and other aggressive maneuvers that male drivers exhibit regularly account for most of their over-representation in traffic offenses.
Contrarily, women could be cited for non-moving violations like parking or registration violations. The disparity manifests as a more cautious driving style. Men are also more likely to receive a ticket because they are more likely to engage in dangerous activity that exposes them to law enforcement, as well as because they typically drive farther.
Though men’s offenses typically present a greater threat to public safety, the gap does underscore the importance of targeted strategies to reduce risky behavior. Strengthened enforcement and public safety campaigns that target the specific causes of traffic violations among men can be very instrumental in bringing about improvement in road safety outcomes.
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Driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs is much more common among males than women. The NHTSA reports that men are involved in 80% of drunk driver fatalities. Males are more prone than women to participate in risky behaviors like speeding or failing to wear seatbelts while intoxicated, and women are less likely than males to drink alcohol. These behaviors greatly increase the likelihood of deaths and serious accidents.
Women are less involved in DUIs, although recent trends have seen some increases. This is mainly because of changes in alcohol use and shifting social norms. Men clearly dominate the statistics for DUIs; on the other hand, rising numbers among women are also a very important wake-up call to address impaired driving among all demographics.
Public safety efforts and increasing the enforcement of DUI laws have been a common means of achieving the ultimate goal of reducing alcohol-impaired driving. A great many of the instruction programs emphasize the personal and legal consequences of drunk driving, which serves to deter people from taking the chance. Also, ignition interlock and other prevention technologies continue to help reduce recidivism in drunk driving. Each one of these can be enhanced to help account for gender-specific aspects of drunk driving in order to cut down fatalities and keep roads safer for everybody who uses them.
Injured in a car accident? Armstrong Lee & Baker LLP is here to help. Call 832-402-6637 or come by our office at 2800 N Loop W #900, Houston, TX 77092, to talk over your case. Our consultations are always 100% free and confidential.
Related article: What Is the Average Settlement for a Drunk Driving Accident?
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