Wayne Texeira  Marketing Director, CFMP, AINS, AIS, API

Having a car accident is something that everyone dreads. It’s something that parents of teen drivers especially worry about when their child first gets behind the wheel. 

Car accident statistics have long shown that younger and older drivers are more likely to be involved in car accidents. However, a recent study published by Kansas State University has shown that gender is related to the type of severe or fatal crash in which a young driver may be involved. The study investigated gender differences and similarities of young drivers age 16-24 involved in all motor vehicle crashes in Kansas between 2007 and 2011.

“Researchers found several differences in the types of crashes between young men and women:

• Young females were 66 percent more likely to wear a seat belt than young males.
• Young females were 28 percent more likely to drive on a restricted license than young males.
• Young female drivers had more crashes at intersections and collisions with pedestrians.
• Young males had more crashes after sunset than young females.
• Young female drivers were more likely to be involved in crashes during weekdays, while young male drivers were more likely to be involved in crashes during the weekend.
• Young male drivers had more off-road crashes than young females.”¹

"There are often different risk factors for young male and young female drivers because their behavior and attitude are generally different,” according to the university's Sunanda Dissanayake, professor of civil engineering.  “This may help explain why one gender is more likely to be involved in a certain type of crash. For example, young males may have more off-road crashes because this crash type is more frequently involved with speeding on rural roads — a driving habit exhibited more by young males than young females.”¹

The hope is that these findings may help reduce the number and severity of such crashes by improving drivers’ education course materials. While accidents can’t always be avoided, awareness of situations where crashes are more likely to occur can allow drivers to be more cautious.
If you are a young driver or have a young driver in your family, taking a moment to discuss the gender related risk situations and how you might modify driving behavior to be safer on the road.

¹Source:  Kansas State University