Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that women have a slightly higher-than-expected likelihood of being involved in a car crash.
The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute study looked at police-reported crashes between 1998 and 2007. They defined three types of crashes: crashes between two male drivers, crashes between two female drivers, and crashes between a male driver and a female driver. The authors of the study knew that men drive more than women, so they expected that there would be a higher percentage of men involved in crashes. They even used a mathematical algorithm, the General Estimate System, to come up with expected crash type ratios.
What the researchers expected to see:
- Male-to-male crashes: 36.2% of accidents
- Female-to-female crashes: 15.8% of accidents
- Male-to-female crashes: 48% of accidents
What the researchers found:
- Male-to-male crashes: 31.9% of accidents
- Female-to-female crashes: 20.5% of accidents
- Male-to-female crashes: 47.6% of accidents
While male-to-female crashes occurred at the expected rate, the incidence of female-to-female crashes were much higher than expected and the incidence of male-to-male crashes were lower than expected. The research also found that women were more likely to be involved in intersection accidents.
What do the results mean?
There are a variety of reasons why women might be more likely to be involved in an accident than men. Women often drive with children. Children are very distracting and a man is more likely than a woman to tune out child distraction. Women also tend to be shorter than men and, designs of newer cars may limit the amount they are able to see. Finally, the discrepancy might be due to the different ways that male and female brains handle information. Male brains are better able to perceive time and speed.
More importantly, the study did not measure the severity of crashes. Women are more likely to be involved in minor, low-speed accidents, but men are more likely to be drivers in fatal car crashes. In 2007, researchers at Carnegie Mellon found that men are more likely to die in a car crash because they are more likely to drink, speed, and take risks while driving.
The Atlanta auto accident lawyers at Shane Smith Law represent victims of car crashes throughout Georgia. If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries, pain, suffering, lost income, property damage, and other losses. To learn more, contact our Atlanta auto accident lawyers at (980) 246-2656
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