Everyone’s level of risk when driving is different. But several criteria, such as age, speed, and drunk driving, determine who gets in more car accidents, males or females. Even though men are more likely to be involved in accidents, women may be in greater danger of harm or death.
The figures don’t tell us the truth, which may come as a shock to some people. Women are involved in a lot fewer accidents than men.
Male collision fatalities were more than twice as common as female accident fatalities from 1975 to 2020, however, the difference has decreased with time. Male collision deaths fell by 14% from 1975 to 2020, whereas female accident deaths fell by 10%.
Men vs Women in Car Accidents – The Statistics
Males made up about 72% of all fatalities in auto accidents in 2020. Males were responsible for 72% of fatalities involving drivers of passenger vehicles, 50% of fatalities involving passengers in those vehicles, 98% of fatalities involving large trucks, 70% of fatalities involving large truck passengers, 71% of fatalities involving pedestrians, 87% of fatalities involving bicyclists, and 92% of fatalities involving motorcycles.
Men vs women drivers caused nearly a two-fold increase in per capita passenger car occupant deaths from 1975 to 2020. Male passenger car occupant fatalities declined by 52 percent between 1975 and 2020, while female fatalities decreased by 40 percent.
The percentage of critically injured passenger vehicle drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent has been significantly greater for men vs women drivers every year between 1982 and 2020.
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Driving Style of Men and Women
Men Are More Competitive and Aggressive
Studies have linked the patriarchal social structure, historical household roles fulfilled by women, and evolutionary factors. Winning is more rewarding for men, and they tend to have higher levels of confidence than women, which makes them less competitive because they are likely to believe they will not win.
It is therefore clear that when it comes to men vs women drivers and competitiveness, the typical male is more so than a female. In addition, men are more aggressive behind the wheel of a car.
Men Have a Worse Reaction to Stress and Adrenaline
Women are more prone to cope with stress by caring for those around them. Men, on the other hand, were more inclined to withdraw or start a fight, behaviors consistent with the “fight or flight” reaction that has long been linked to stress.
The research showed that all evidence strongly suggests that the gender difference is mostly caused by oxytocin, a hormone that supports maternal and social behavior as well as relaxation.
Women first react to stress similarly to men, making them somewhat susceptible to cortisol and adrenaline. The pituitary gland of women then starts to release oxytocin, which helps reduce the amount of cortisol and adrenaline produced and lessens their adverse effects.
It’s interesting to note that men secrete oxytocin, as well as women, do under stress, however, they do so in lower quantities and its effects are blocked by male hormones like testosterone.
Women Have a More Vivid Imagination
Male brains may be designed for physical skills, whereas female brains may be ideal for mixing analytical and intuitive thinking, according to studies that look at brains rather than at specific individuals.
In general, men have stronger connections between the front and the rear of the brain than women, whereas women have stronger connections between the left and the right.
The left hemisphere of the brain is the location of logical thinking, while the right side of the brain fosters intuitive thinking. Roughly speaking, the back of the brain is responsible for perception, and the front of the brain is responsible for action. The results support the idea that while women may be stronger at combining analytical and intuitive thinking, men may excel at motor abilities.
Men Are More Vigilant About Their Surroundings
It has always been useful for humans to be aware of moving objects, and men tend to be far better at detecting visual motion than women.
Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) found that men have better spatial recognition and a more successful strategy for using this skill to reach their destinations more quickly in a virtual environment, largely because they have higher levels of the hormone testosterone.
Men used their hippocampus more during navigation activities than women, whose brains were built to use the frontal cortex, which was discovered by a team of researchers to be further evidence that there is a link between hormone levels and navigation abilities. In layman’s terms, men succeed at navigating a virtual maze by analyzing three-dimensional information to locate shortcuts, whereas women were more perceptive of their immediate surroundings and chose well-established paths, regardless of distance.
Women Think More About the Actions of Other Drivers
Most women are born with intrinsic, nurturing inclinations, most people would agree. These inclinations might encourage women to drive more cautiously. They naturally seek to shield people around them.
As a result, they are more inclined to drive defensively and avoid any actions that might result in an accident. Being a compassionate mother may result in becoming a compassionate and hence safer driver.
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Causes of accidents
DUI
Male drivers are 1.5 times more likely than female drivers to be legally drunk when they are involved in fatal accidents. Driving under the Influence (DUI) arrests have comparable demographic patterns to those of the drivers involved in fatal accidents. In 2019, 81 percent of those who were arrested for DUIs were men and 19 percent were women.
Though data indicates that men are still at a higher risk than women when it comes to DUIs and drunk driving, it is interesting to note that these disparities are narrowing. Around 90% of DUI arrests in the 1980s were made by men, making them a lot more common. According to statistics from 2011, almost one in four DUI stops resulted in the arrest of a woman.
Driving over the speed limit
In 2020, as the driver’s age rose, the percentage of fatal crashes involving speeding fell. Across all age groups, a lower percentage of female drivers than male drivers were caught speeding. At the time of fatal collisions, young male drivers between the ages of 15-20 and 21–24 were most likely to be speeding. In these two youngest age categories, at least 32% of male drivers were speeding at the time of the crash in 2020, as opposed to only 18% of female drivers.
Age as a factor
The most hazardous age group for intoxicated driving and speeding is young adults. Young adults are also more likely to be detained, with drivers aged 21 to 29 accounting for 33% of all DUI arrests in 2019. As people get older (and possibly wiser), that percentage eventually decreases.
Who causes more accidents, males or females? From all the evidence above, definitely males.
How To Stay Safe on the Road No Matter Who Is Driving
- Don’t speed
- Don’t tailgate – use a safe following distance
- Stay off your cellular phone
- Pay attention to your surroundings
- Don’t drink and drive
Related Article: How Long After Car Accident Can You Claim Injury
Conclusions
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