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Male drivers more dangerous than women
By Seth Borenstein
Associated Press
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WASHINGTON -- That age-old stereotype about dangerous women drivers is shattered in a big new traffic analysis: Male drivers have a 77 percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than women, based on miles driven.

And the author of the research says he takes it to heart when he travels - his wife takes the wheel.

"I put a mitt in my mouth and ride shotgun," said David Gerard, a Carnegie Mellon University researcher who co-authored a major new U.S. road risk analysis.

The study holds plenty of surprises.

-The highway death rate is higher for cautious 82-year-old women than for risk-taking 16-year-old boys.

-New England is the safest region for drivers - despite all those stories about crazy Boston drivers.

-The safest passenger is a youngster strapped in a car seat and being driven during morning rush hour.

The findings are from Traffic STATS, a detailed and searchable new risk analysis of road fatality statistics by Carnegie Mellon for the American Automobile Association. Plans are to make the report public next week, but The Associated Press got an early look.

The analysis shows that some long-held assumptions about safety on U.S. highways don't jibe with hard numbers. It lists the risk of road death by age, gender, type of vehicle, time of day and geographic region.

"We are finding comparisons that are surprising all the time," said study co-author Paul Fischbeck, a Carnegie Mellon professor of social and decision sciences. "What is necessary now is to go through and do that second level of analysis to figure out why some of these things are true."

For example, those dangerous 82-year-old women are 60 percent more likely to die on the road than a 16-year-old boy because they are so frail, said Anne McCartt, a research official at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who was not part of the study.

"It's an issue not of risk-taking behavior, but of fragility," McCartt said. The elderly are more likely to die when they are injured in an accident, she said, an explanation that Gerard and Fischbeck validate.

These elderly women have the nation's highest road death risks even when they're not driving - five times higher than the national average.

Right behind octogenarians in high risk are young male drivers, ages 16-23 with fatality rates four times higher than average.

That can be attributed to "inexperience and immaturity," McCartt said.

Drivers in their 40s and 50s tie for the lowest risk of dying in an accident. But if you're a male out at 2 a.m. Saturday on a motorcycle in the South, you may want to take out some more insurance.

By combining a batch of data of all types, you can construct the safest possible scenario on the road: That would involve a 4-year-old girl in a van or school bus, stuck in a Wednesday morning rush hour in New England in February.

Of all the ages to be in a car, 4-year-olds have the lowest death risks - probably because they are in child car seats and their parents drive more carefully, Fischbeck said.

"They are really protected, they're being driven around in times of day when it's very safe (and often in minivans)," Fischbeck said. "It's a win-win-win-win situation."

As for men being more likely to die than women? McCartt and Fischbeck said men take more risks, speed more, drink and drive more.

"They do stupider things," said Fischbeck, a former military pilot who has twin toddlers and a "totally unsafe" 1974 Volkswagen Thing.

Fischbeck's study didn't get into specific car makes, but found larger vans to be the safest with a death rate less than half the national average for cars, and the drivers themselves played a role.

"It's a combination of they're safe and the people who drive them are dull," Fischbeck said.

School buses, massive vehicles driven during normally safe hours, have a death rate that is one-50th that of average passenger vehicles.

But the death rate on motorcycles was nearly 32 times higher than for cars. One of the riskiest combinations in the database are men between ages 21 and 24 who drive motorcycles between midnight and 4 a.m. Their road fatality risk is 45,000 times higher than normal.

The most deadly hour is at 2 a.m., which is often when bars close and many deaths are alcohol-related, Fischbeck said.

The fewest deaths per mile driven are at 8 a.m., mostly because the roads are so clogged with traffic - and teenage drivers are in school, McCartt said.

That explains New England's No. 1 ranking for lowest death risk on the road, she said.

Heavy traffic "makes it much more difficult for people to speed," McCartt said.

Oddball facts on risky driving

Here are a few of the oddities that turn up in the Traffic STATS report, a detailed and searchable new risk analysis of road fatality statistics for the American Automobile Association. Research was done at Carnegie Mellon University.

• Safest vehicle: school bus or van.

• Most dangerous vehicle: motorcycle.

• Safest driving day: Wednesday

• Most dangerous driving day: Saturday.

• Safest month: February.

• Deadliest month: October.

• Driver age at highest risk of death: 82.

• Driver age with lowest risk of death: 40 and 50, a tie.

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Reader comments on this story - 34 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

hmm wrote on Jan 20, 2007 1:52 PM:

" hotrods are still driven by young men showing off, just like the old days, only add drugs nowadays "

reader wrote on Jan 19, 2007 6:11 PM:

" Well ya .Men are out supporting her and the yearlings keeping her living the good life .All she has to do is cook,clean,have the meal on the table when he comes home from a ruff day at the mill, and greet him with a cold one as he comes through the door.Just kidding everyone. "

men ... wrote on Jan 19, 2007 4:14 PM:

" just are not as good at putting on their makeup in the Passing lanes on Veterans Parkway while on a cell phone, reading the Pantagraph, talking on a cell phone, and eating a Krispy Kreme. "

Misconception wrote on Jan 19, 2007 2:55 PM:

" The analysis says "Male drivers have a 77 percent higher risk of DYING in a car accident than women, based on miles driven." Explanation: when a male is involved in a car accident the accident causes more damage then compared to accidents involving females. Meaning that accidents involving females don't always result in death. This does not say that females do not have more frequent accidents or are worse drivers. This was a study about the severity of accidents based on gender, age, type of vehicle and geography; not who drives better. Of course the entire article was fraut with stereoptypes so its not surprising that a gender debate will ensue. For example, someone may drive a minivan, not because they are a dull person, but because they like the secure storage for their drumkit. "

Ike wrote on Jan 19, 2007 1:53 PM:

" Undoubtably this study was done by a panel of women headed up by non other then Rosie O'donell. "

TO EVER NOTICED wrote on Jan 19, 2007 1:42 PM:

" Whats a turn signal? "

Obvious: wrote on Jan 19, 2007 1:37 PM:

" Don't forget, this is all done while they're yapping on their cel phone. "

Obvious wrote on Jan 19, 2007 12:48 PM:

" Whoever did this study obviously has not driven in Bloomington-Normal. About 95% of the time that I encounter an aggressive or wreckless driver, it's a woman. Many times, they ride my bumper when I'm already driving over the limit. One time when I braked when the light turned yellow, a woman behind me whipped into the lane beside me and proceeded to blow through the intersection, even though the light had turned red before her vehicle entered the intersection. Another time, I stopped at a 4 way stop. A woman driving on the cross street slowed down, but didn't stop. Just as I was starting to go (because it was my turn) , she blew through the intersection. Then there are women who drive SUVs with the attitude "I'm a woman, but my equipment is bigger than yours, so get out of my way!" "

LH: wrote on Jan 19, 2007 12:28 PM:

" That's just a ridiculous argument. You might want to do some research on the history of motorsports before you spout off something like that. "

Ever noticed wrote on Jan 19, 2007 11:54 AM:

" that it's men who don't use turn signals. I don't think they understand that they come standard on a car. "

a bit of stereotyping wrote on Jan 19, 2007 10:46 AM:

" A bit dangerous to imply that your driving prowess is because of your gender. I think it's more of a cultural issue dealing with gender roles. Why isn't it discrimination when insurance rates are based on gender? Is it because women are not the ones getting the short end of the stick? I'm ALL for gender equality in every way..and both ways! "

To: "TO LH" wrote on Jan 19, 2007 10:16 AM:

" If women as a whole are smarter (hence not racing), than why are there ANY women in motorsports? What happened to Danika Patrick. Did she miss out on the female "smart" chromosome? "

YadaYada wrote on Jan 19, 2007 10:04 AM:

" Nothing here that men didn't already know. Sadly, men, futally attempting to avoid bad women drivers, get in more accidents. "

Count em wrote on Jan 19, 2007 9:46 AM:

" I will place my bet that the worst drivers in B-N are women in SUV's on the cell phone. "

Pink Floyd wrote on Jan 19, 2007 9:28 AM:

" The key line is "based on miles driven". I guess if I played on the interstate 12 hours a day I'd be more likely to be hit than someone who played there 1 hour a day. "

TO LH wrote on Jan 19, 2007 9:21 AM:

" I don't think that driving superiority has much to do with the lack of women in NASCAR and other driving sports. I think it has more to do with women's mental superiority. The larger percentage of women would have the good sense NOT to get in one of those machines and drive like a maniac at high rates of speed, going in circles, tryng to cross the finish line first just to prove who's got bigger........um.....well you know(engines?). So.....it turns out we're better drivers AND we're smarter. Sorry LH, but just by your asking the question in the first place you proved my latter point! hehehe "

Crybaby wrote on Jan 19, 2007 9:10 AM:

" One thing is for certain. Whether male or female, what the world definitely needs more of is aggression. Three cheers to all those 'spring loaded' to the 'in your face' position. "

To: LH wrote on Jan 19, 2007 8:49 AM:

" More does not mean better. "

Woodford Pundit wrote on Jan 19, 2007 8:49 AM:

" I still don't understand the article. Are men more "at risk" because they drive more or did they factor that out? "

I guess wrote on Jan 19, 2007 8:28 AM:

" they have not watched Veterans PKWY when the soccer moms are "driving" at 60mph doing their make up and talking on the phone at the same time. "

World is flat wrote on Jan 19, 2007 8:18 AM:

" Statistical regression on 'being dangerous'? I didn't realize subjective descriptions could be quantified as a correlation. If that's the case, remember that beer drinkers tend to be the most religious people. It's been statistically proven time and time again. "

LH wrote on Jan 19, 2007 8:09 AM:

" If women are such superior drivers, why is NASCAR and every other driving sport DOMINATED by men? Sure, you might one or two token women drivers to appease women advicates, but the driving sports are dominated by men for one reason. Because we are better drivers. Plain and simple. Move over ladies, we're comin through. "

LH wrote on Jan 19, 2007 8:03 AM:

" And the rift between genders continues to grow. "

Clarification wrote on Jan 19, 2007 7:49 AM:

" Men may be more likely to get in accidents because of their aggressive nature, but women are more likely to cause them and be completely oblivious to it. Unfortunately, a lot of this is due to the nature of men and women and really can't be changed. "

I am a woman wrote on Jan 19, 2007 6:48 AM:

" and I am really suprised by this story. I think the worst drivers are soccer moms in those BIG vans they drive like sportscars! "

Elderly Drivers wrote on Jan 19, 2007 6:47 AM:

" Should be put under much stricter testing when renewing their license. I can't count how many times one has pulled into my lane while I am driving right next to them or driven dangerously slow in the middle of the lane and increasing the aggresion of other drivers. I realize they want their independence while they still can have it but is it really worth risking the lives of others? "

Candy wrote on Jan 19, 2007 2:08 AM:

" Nothing that us females didn't already know. "

and.... wrote on Jan 18, 2007 10:38 PM:

" I bet females are more compliant about the seat belt law!! "

All righty then----- wrote on Jan 18, 2007 9:22 PM:

" HAHAHA!!!! We've been tellin ya men-folk for years, we don't need a news story!!! ;) "

Sorry Guys wrote on Jan 18, 2007 8:46 PM:

" But if it's in black and white, it must be right! "

to Jim Owens wrote on Jan 18, 2007 7:50 PM:

" Jim you are kidding yourself if you think the liberation movement has much to do with this (with respect to aggressivenes). The test is manipulated to show preference. Reread the article; "based on miles driven," "time of day," etc. Each of these qualifiers excluded many women. Though possibley factual given the tight restraints of this test, a one hour variable to 7 am and the inclusion of a per mile ratio would show a completely different result. There is a permitted arrogance that no matter how badly a woman drives it's ok. "She's a mother, in hurry, etc. Poppicock. Bad driving is bad no matter who does it. Women, put on your make up at home and stop farding while you drive... AND PUT DOWN THAT CELL PHONE. YOU DON'T WELL WITHOUT IT! "

LittleMac wrote on Jan 18, 2007 7:15 PM:

" Dear "Jim": You've told us twice that the increase in aggression is a good thing. It sounds like you are hedging your bets and not a little worried about one of these crazy females dropping by your place to break your windows. "

Jim Owens wrote on Jan 18, 2007 6:08 PM:

" My observations differ from those of this study. Perhaps women are better AGGRESSIVE drivers than men. Since the liberation movement--and let me make it clear that I never had a problem with this movement--in the late-1960s/early 1970s, women have gradually become more independent. However, along with that independence, women have also become much more aggressive sexually, on the job, and, yes, in driving habits. Women, in my opinion, have progressed in this arena at a much quicker rate than men. Let me reiterate that I am NOT opposed to this. On the contrary, much of it is good. Thus, if the study can be trusted, I put forth that women may indeed qualify as safer drivers, but driving, in general, has become much more dangerous, since, both men AND women are more aggressive these days. It kind of offsets the gains in safety features. Perhaps the variance in vehicle size has contributed to such aggression(?) "

Yawn wrote on Jan 18, 2007 6:02 PM:

" These are not surprising numbers. Old drivers (over 80) are scared and have slower reflexes. New England may contain Boston, but it also contains lots of rural areas with few people and lots of roads. At the Country, there are several insurance experts who could have explained all this before you posted the story. "
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