Younger Women More Likely to Die Than Men in a Crash: Study
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a study that shows younger women are far more likely to die than men in an equivalent car crash.
NHTSA released a 349-page report that analyzed 50 years of crash data, showing that women drivers between the ages of 21-30 have a 25.9 percent higher chance of dying in an equivalent car crash than men. The report also says that as early as age 18, men have a better chance of surviving the same crash than women.
Strangely enough, the male’s advantage of surviving a car crash begins to diminish after age 35 and by 70, both male and female drivers are about equally at risk. In fact, women between the ages of 65-74 have a 1.4 percent lower risk of dying in a similar crash than men.
Most of this makes sense considering younger men are larger and stronger than women, making them likely to survive a crash of identical force. On average, the risk of a woman dying in a crash is 17 percent more than men for all ages and seating position.
The good news is, the overall risk of dying in a car accident has fallen 42 percent from 1955 until 2002 thanks to air bags, increased seat belt use, and other safety requirements.
[Source: The Detroit News]
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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