11/13/2008
NU Online News Service
Male drivers are cited for reckless driving 3.41 times more than
women, according to a new study that found men are more dangerous
behind the wheel.
San Francisco-based Quality Planning, a company that validates
policyholder information for auto insurers, said its proprietary
findings reveal dramatic differences in the number and type of
traffic violations received by men versus women.
According to Quality Planning, the data shows that when it comes
to traffic laws, women are far more observant of them than men, and
that the laws violated more frequently by men are those laws
designed to safeguard people and property.
The company noted that reckless driving offenses, committed far
more frequently by men, are considered one of the most serious
traffic offenses by courts since it implies a disregard for the
rights and safety of persons or property.
Quality Planning said it analyzed 12 months' of 2007 policyholder
information for U.S. drivers, comparing the number of moving and
nonmoving violations for both men and women. Overall, the data
shows that men are much more likely to receive a traffic citation
than women, and that this difference in driving behavior is
consistent across all age groups.
In addition to reckless driving the company said men were 3.09
times more likely to be cited for driving under the influence, 3.08
times more likely for failure to wear a seatbelt, 1.75 times more
likely for speeding, 1.54 times more likely for failure to yield
and 1.53 times more for a stop sign violation.
"We were not surprised to see that men have slightly more-about
plus 5 percent-violations that result in accidents than women,"
said Raj Bhat, president of Quality Planning.
"And because men are also more likely to violate laws for
speeding, passing and yielding, the resulting accidents caused by
men lead to more expensive claims than those caused by women," said
Mr. Bhat.
Women drivers were also about 27 percent less likely than men to
be found at fault (1-49 percent negligent) when involved in an
accident, according to the company.
Quality Planning said this again underscores the finding that
women are on average less aggressive and more law-abiding
drivers-attributes that also translate to fewer accidents.
The company said the study used traffic code violations data for a
one-year period from 2007 and 2008.
Violations were grouped by type and gender of the driver, and the
percentage of violations for male and female drivers was estimated.
Finally, the ratio of percentage of violations by male and female
drivers was calculated to identify the difference in gender for
each type of violation.
Quality Planning is a subsidiary of Jersey City, N.J.-based
Insurance Services Office.
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