As the number of motorists on the roads in Tennessee rise, so does the number of car accident situations. According to the NY Times, recent research shows that even when seatbelts are used, male drivers are less likely to be involved in car accidents than women are. Safety features play a role in how well protected women are when they are involved in collisions. The safety features on vehicles are not designed to offer women the same protections as men because of the difference in their physical characteristics, resulting in a higher incidence of injury.
In another study, it was determined that the risk of being involved in car accidents and dying from accident-related injuries for women declined as they got older. Male motorists who were in between the ages of 65-74 years of age had a 1.4 higher risk than women from the same age group of being fatally wounded in car wrecks, states USA Today. The risk for fatal car crashes was almost the same for both genders once they reached the age of 70. Female motorists who were age 35 and up had a disadvantage when compared to male drivers. However, this disadvantage declined with age.
There are several factors that can affect a driver’s ability to survive car crash-related injuries. Women drivers are not as strong or large as their male counterparts. Their age also plays a significant role. Female motorists are more likely to die from being in car crashes if they are in the 21-30 year-old age group. Males in the same age group had a 29.2 percent lower chance of dying from fatal motor vehicle crashes.
Women drivers may have a higher risk of car crashes. However, they can lower their risk for these incidents by paying attention to the road, extending proper road courtesies and using defensive driving tactics when appropriate.