Car accident fatalities happen because a variety of factors affect the type of injuries different people receive, such as gender. While not all deaths occur only because of gender, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety reports that men die much more often in car crashes than women.
To understand the correlation between gender and car accident deaths, it is important to study some of the factors that contribute to the related data.
Men speed more often
Crash information gathered over the past several years shows that male drivers speed more often than women, and with increased speed comes an increased risk of actions that may contribute to a deadly crash, including:
- Aggressive driving
- Speeding in areas with heavy traffic patterns
- Possible loss of control of the vehicle
Increased speed also usually causes a more severe crash with a stationary object, such as the side of a building or a guardrail.
Alcohol usage
Men use alcohol and then get behind the wheel with a greater consistency than women, which leads to a greater number of deaths for male drivers. Young men may feel pressured to have drinks with friends without designating a sober driver, which may greatly increase the risk of a fatal accident for these individuals.
Age and inexperience
Young male drivers, especially those in their late teens and early 20s, often lose their lives in car crashes because of driving inexperience and reckless behavior behind the wheel. This often makes for a deadly combination, especially when young men first experience the freedom of having a driver’s license.
The risk of dying in a car accident tends to decrease for males once they age, something that may occur as they mature and practice safer driving habits.
