Are Males or Females the Cause of Most Car Accidents

Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 31 Oct 2010 - Updated: 2 Mar 2024
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content

Synopsis

Males are significantly more likely to cause motor vehicle accidents than women according to recent statistics.

Overview

It's a debate as old as the internal combustion engine and the advent of headlights: Are women better drivers than men, or vice versa?

While media stereotypes once led to the acceptance of "woman driver" as an inherently critical label, the truth is that men are significantly more likely to get into crashes. This fact has long been known by the insurance company actuaries who set policy rates for individuals, but the precise differences are well described in recent statistics.

On the high end, the New York Times reported in August on a city traffic study that revealed a shocking four of every five serious or fatal vehicle/pedestrian accidents in New York City were caused by male drivers. This figure is only partially explained by the predominance of male drivers of taxis and other commercial vehicles, as well as the fact that men are behind the wheel for more than 60 percent of the total annual driving miles in the U.S.

Traffic studies from around the world have consistently shown higher accident rates among men, a phenomenon that social scientists frequently attribute to testosterone and its affect on aggression and taking risks.

As if to add insult to this injury to the masculine self-image, studies also show that male pedestrians are more likely to be hit by a car.

"You see a lot more boys killed running into traffic," according to author Tom Vanderbilt, an author of a book on the psychology behind driving habits and related road safety issues.

But there is some small consolation for the male driver: Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety told the Times that men know more about cars and how to handle them.

Risky maneuvers, speeding, drunk driving and road rage create significant hazards to passengers and other drivers on American roads, regardless of the driver's gender. When a last-second merge or a dangerous pass leads to a collision that results in serious injuries or a wrongful death, the only clues to blame and liability may lie in the wreckage and other evidence left behind.

Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.