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Licensing
rates:
 In 1975,
72 percent of women were licensed to drive, compared with 94 percent of
men. (2)
In 1998,
85 percent of women were licensed to drive, compared with 93 percent of
men. (2)
In 1975, women
represented 46 percent of all licensed drivers, compared to representing
almost 50 percent of licensed drivers in 1998. (2)
Travel:
In 1977,
women drove an estimated 378 billion miles; in 1995, they drove an estimated
886 billion miles. (2)
In 1977,
women accounted for 28 percent of all the miles driven; by 1995, they accounted
for 38 percent. (2)
Seat belt use:
Women are much
more likely to drive with seat belts than men in states with primary laws,
which allow police to pull over drivers just for that violation, and secondary
laws, which require police to have another violation against a driver before
pulling them over for not wearing a seat belt. (4)
Hispanic females
are the most likely to drive with a seat belt in states with primary laws
by having an 84 percent usage rate, compared to 79 percent usage rate of
white females and 76 percent usage rate of black females. (4)
Black males are
the most likely to drive with a seat belt in states with primary laws by
having a 65 percent usage rate, compared to 64 percent usage rate of white
males and 63 percent usage rate of Hispanic males. (4)
White females
are the most likely to drive with a seat belt in states with secondary
laws by having a 66 percent usage rate, compared to 65 percent usage rate
of Hispanic females and 59 percent usage rate of black females. (4)
White males are
the most likely to drive with a seat belt in states with secondary laws
by having a 53 percent usage rate, compared to 52 percent usage rate of
Hispanic males and 37 percent usage rate of black males. (4)
Driving under the influence of alcohol:
Females represented
31 percent of drivers who were found to be drunk driving in a survey during
1996, compared to 26 percent in 1986 and 18 percent in 1973. (3)
5.8 percent of
female drivers surveyed in 1996 had a 0.05 or higher blood alcohol concentration,
compared to 8.7 percent of men. (3)
1.5 percent of
female drivers surveyed in 1996 had a 0.10 or higher blood alcohol concentration,
compared to 3.7 percent of men. (3)
In 1986, 3.9 percent
of female drivers surveyed had a 0.05 or higher blood alcohol concentration,
compared to 9.9 percent of men. (3)
Gender and fatal crashes:
The number of
women involved in fatal crashes increased from 9,356 in 1975 to 14,937
in 1998, a rise of 60 percent. Women have not become more reckless or aggressive,
but they are driving more than ever. (1)
Men were involved
in 45,084 fatal crashes in 1975, compared to 40,360 fatal crashes in 1990.
That is a decrease of 10 percent. (2)
The proportion
of drivers involved in fatal crashes who were women has risen from 17 percent
in 1975 to 24 percent in 1990 and then to 27 percent in 1998. (2)
The fatal collision
rate by male drivers in 1975 was 64 accidents per 100,000 licensed drivers
and then 43 accidents per 100,000 licensed drivers in 1998. (2)
The fatal collision
rate for female drivers in 1975 was 16 accidents per 100,000 licensed
drivers. The rate remained the same rate in 1998. (2)
Female
drivers were responsible for 27 percent of all fatal crashes in 1998, compared
to only 17 percent in 1975 and 24 percent in 1990. (2)
The fatal
crash rate per 100 million miles of travel for male and female drivers
decreased similarly between 1977 and 1995- a 45 percent decrease for female
drivers and a 41 percent decrease for male drivers. (2)
Gender of fatal motor vehicle accident
victims:
About
one-third of all motor vehicle deaths in 2000 were females. They accounted
for 30 percent of driver deaths, 47 percent of passenger deaths, 32 percent
of
pedestrian deaths, 11 percent of bicyclist deaths, and 9 percent of motorcyclist
deaths. (2)
Since
1975, female deaths in motor vehicle crashes have increased 12 percent,
compared with a 13 percent decline in male motor vehicle crash deaths.
(2)
About 48 percent
of female deaths related to motor vehicles in 2000 were driver deaths,
36 percent were passenger deaths, two percent were motorcyclist deaths,
11 percent were pedestrian deaths and less than one percent were bicyclist
deaths. (2)
About 54 percent
of male deaths related to motor vehicles in 2000 were driver deaths, 19
percent were passenger deaths, nine percent were motorcyclist deaths, 11
percent were pedestrian deaths and two percent were bicyclist deaths. (2)
The proportion
of drivers killed in road crashes who were women increased from 9 percent
in 1963 to 20 percent in 1986. (2)
The
percentage of driver fatalities who were women had risen from 16 percent
in 1975 to 24 percent in 1990. (3)
Male
passengers are more likely than female passengers to die in a vehicle accident.
The passenger vehicle occupant death rate among women has stayed at 8 or
9 per 100,000 people since 1975 while the men's rate has fallen from 21
to 15 per 100,000 people. (2)
Since
1997 motorcycle deaths have been going up among both males and females,
an increase of 35 percent for men and 40 percent for women. (1)
Since
1980, proportions of fatally injured drivers with BACs at or above .10
percent have declined 36 percent among men and 50 percent among women.
However among women, but not men, the percentage rose in 2000. Since 1985,
the percentage of male driver deaths with high BACs has been about twice
that of females. (1)
Single-vehicle and multiple crashes:
The proportion
of female drivers involved in single-vehicle fatal crashes declined from
38 percent in 1975 to 32 percent in 1998. (2)
The proportion
of males involved in single-vehicle fatal crashes declined from 44 percent
in 1975 to 38 percent in 1998. (2)
The proportion
of female drivers involved in multiple-vehicle fatal crashes increased
from 62 percent in 1975 to 68 percent in 1998. (2)
The proportion
of male drivers involved in multiple-vehicle fatal crashes increased from
57 percent in 1975 to 62 percent in 1998. (2)
Manner of fatal collisions:
Male and female
drivers were most likely in 1998 to be involved in fatal accidents when
colliding on an angle, 44 percent and 47 percent, respectively. (2)
About one-third
of fatal collisions by male and female drivers involved in head-on crashes
in 1998. (2)
Only 11 percent
of female driver and 14 percent of male driver involved in collisions were
rear-end crashes in 1998. (2)
Time of day:
About 64 percent
of collisions by female drivers and 53 percent of collisions by male drivers
occurred from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in 1998. (2)
In 1975, men were
most likely to be involved in fatal crashes from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., with
57 percent of male driver crashes occurring then. (2)
Weather conditions:
The
same percent, 86 percent, of male and female driver fatal crashes occurred
in 1998 when no adverse weather conditions were involved. (2)
In 1975, 83 percent
of male and 82 percent of female driver fatal crashes occurred when no
adverse weather conditions were involved. (2)
Vehicle-related factors:
In 1975, only
six percent of female drivers in fatal crashes were driving vans, utility
vehicles or pickup trucks compared with 16 percent of men. (2)
In 1998, about
26 percent of female drivers involved in fatal collisions were driving
light truck or vans, compared with about 37 percent of men. (2)
In 1975, 90 percent
of female drivers in fatal crashes were operating a passenger car, compared
with about 73 percent in 1998. (2)
In 1975, male
and female drivers involved in fatal crashes were most likely to be driving
vehicles two years old or newer, 32 percent and 30 percent, respectively.
(2)
In 1998, male
and female drivers involved in fatal crashed were most likely to be driving
vehicles 10 years old or older, 36 percent and 29 percent, respectively.
(2)
License history:
Among female drivers
involved in fatal collisions, the proportion with suspended licenses increased
from 0.3 percent in 1975 to three percent in 1998; for male drivers, the
proportion went from one percent in 1975 to six percent in 1998. (2)
In 1998, 93 percent
of female drivers and 87 percent of male drivers in fatal crashes had valid
licenses. (2)
The percentage
of female drivers with previous suspensions in fatal collisions increased
from three percent in 1975 to six percent in 1998; the percentage of female
drivers with previous DWI convictions in fatal collisions increased slightly
from one percent in 1975 to two percent in 1998. (2)
The percentage
of male drivers with previous suspensions in fatal collisions increased
from 13 percent in 1975 to 14 percent in 1998. (2)
Driving under the influence of alcohol:
The percent of
male drivers and female drivers involved in fatal crashes who had a blood
alcohol concentration of 0.10 or higher was 20 percent and 10 percent,
respectively. (2)
The percent of
male drivers and female drivers involved in fatal crashes who had a blood
alcohol concentration of 0.01 or higher was 27 percent and 14 percent,
respectively. (2)
About 70 percent
of fatal crashes by male drivers in 1998 involved men who were 20 to 54
years old, compared to 65 percent of female fatal crashes. (2)
About 11 percent
of men and 12 percent of women 16 to 19 years old were the drivers involved
in fatal crashes, compared to 11 percent of male seniors and 14 percent
of female seniors in 1998. (2)
Among
passenger vehicle drivers in 2000, the proportion of fatally injured males
with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above .10 percent was higher
than females at all ages. Alcohol was most common among males age 21 to
40 and females 31-40, when about half of male deaths and 32 percent of
female deaths involved high BACs. (2)
Death of passengers while driving
under the influence of alcohol:
About 18 percent
of fatally injured passenger vehicles with female drivers in 2000 had a
blood alcohol concentration higher than 0.10. (2)
About 36 percent
of fatally injured passenger vehicles with female drivers in 1980 had a
blood alcohol concentration higher than 0.10. (2)
About 34 percent
of fatally injured passenger vehicles with male drivers in 2000 had a blood
alcohol concentration higher than 0.10. (2)
About 53 percent
of fatally injured passenger vehicles with male drivers in 1980 had a blood
alcohol concentration higher than 0.10. (2)
Percent of fatally injured passenger
vehicle drivers
with blood alcohol concentration
of 0.10 percent or greater in 2000 (2) :
|
Age
|
Male
|
Female
|
|
16-20
|
27
|
11
|
|
21-30
|
49
|
30
|
|
31-40
|
48
|
32
|
|
41-50
|
41
|
22
|
|
50-60
|
28
|
11
|
|
older than 60
|
10
|
3
|
Passenger vehicle deaths by age
and gender per 100,000 people in 2000 (2):
|
Age
|
Male
|
Female
|
|
0-15
|
3
|
3
|
|
16-19
|
34
|
18
|
|
20-24
|
33
|
13
|
|
25-29
|
20
|
8
|
|
30-34
|
16
|
7
|
|
35-39
|
14
|
7
|
|
40-44
|
13
|
6
|
|
45-49
|
13
|
7
|
|
50-54
|
12
|
6
|
|
55-59
|
13
|
7
|
|
60-64
|
13
|
8
|
|
65-69
|
13
|
9
|
|
70-74
|
17
|
11
|
|
75-79
|
24
|
13
|
|
80-84
|
30
|
15
|
|
85 and older
|
38
|
13
|
Sources:
1- Status Report, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Vol. 36, No.
10, Nov. 15, 2001.
2- Trends in Fatal Crashes Involving Female Drivers, 1975-1998, Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety, July 2001.
3- Status Report, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Vol. 32, No.
3, March 22, 1997.
4- Status Report, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Vol. 37, No.
2, Feb. 9, 2002.
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