Men vs. Women Drivers – Who Are Safer According to Studies?

The old jokes about women drivers are not told today for several reasons, but perhaps the most important is that men are statistically more likely to get involved in automobile accidents.

Several studies from respected organizations have shown that male drivers are considerably more likely to take part in vehicular accidents.

That may be why women car insurance rates are usually lower for otherwise identical drivers because of the statistics gathered over the years. Of course, the raw data in terms of traffic accidents only tells part of the story.

What is important is that studies over the years have come to many of the same conclusions and indicated that men represent a higher risk in the view of insurance companies for their driving habits.

Men are Worse Drivers than Women

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), men cause about 6.1 million accidents per year compared to women who are to blame for 4.4 million. The statistics do not lie as men score far worse than females in the following categories;

• More Traffic Accidents
• More Traffic Violations
• Greater Number of DUIs

This, even though about one million more women are licensed to drive compared to men. However, it should be noted that one mitigating factor is that men drive far greater distances than women. The average man will drive about 40% more miles every year compared to a woman. The more time spent on the road, the more likely a person is to have an accident.

Aggressive Behavior

Some studies indicate that the reason why men, particularly men under the age of 25, get into more accidents is that they are more prone to taking risks and engaging in aggressive behavior. The studies which note the behavior generally interpret their information from the crash reports which usually cite men are more likely to speed, not obey traffic laws, and take more chances compared to women.

Lower Insurance Rates for Women

A study published by Insweb indicates that women pay on average about 9% less for the same auto insurance as a man. Since insurance companies have access to all types of data, this indicates that they view women drivers as being a better risk to insure compared to me.

In the state of Wyoming, the difference is 20% which is the biggest gap in the nation. Washington D.C. and South Dakota are not too far behind at 16%.

Similarity in Teen Accidents and Fatalities

The advantage that teen drivers such as the 18 year old female had over their male counterpart in terms of being in fewer accidents has been eroding sharply over the past decade. One prominent cause is the distraction caused by smartphones which have both women and men, but teen girls to a seemingly greater degree.

What all the studies indicate is that both men and women can substantially reduce their chances of being involved in an accident if they obey traffic laws, pay attention to the road, and drive defensively which puts distance between them and other vehicles.