Spatial Variation in Motor Vehicle Crashes by Gender in the Houston, Texas, Metropolitan Area

This study examines spatial variation in motor vehicle crashes by gender within the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area. Examination of data on 252,240 crashes that occurred in the Houston metropolitan area between 1999 and 2001 showed that substantial behavioral differences between male and female drivers contributed to the crashes. Males had more severe crashes than females and showed riskier driving behavior for every crash type. Crash risk varied throughout the metropolitan area, however, being much higher in the central city than in the suburbs. Because male drivers were more likely to be involved in crashes in the central city than female drivers, part of the gender differential in crashes appears to be the result of men driving in riskier locations. A negative binomial regression model, estimated with the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, was tested on road segments and showed gender differentials controlling for the volume-to-capacity ratio, the distance from downtown, and functional road classification. The general pattern of women making more frequent but shorter trips was associated with driving to less risky destinations. It is argued that lack of information on driver residences prevents a more detailed analysis of crash risk and that exposure to crashes needs to be understood in terms of behavior and not just relative to travel distance.

• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/165294.aspx
• 
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/Womens_Issues_in_Transportation_Summary_of_the_4th_165294.aspx
• Authors:
  • Levine, Ned
• Conference:
  • 4th International Conference on Women's Issues in Transportation
  • Location: Irvine California, United States
  • Date: 2009-10-27 to 2009-10-30
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 12-25
• Monograph Title: Women's Issues in Transportation: Summary of the 4th International Conference. Volume 2: Technical Papers
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue Number: 46
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 1073-1652

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Crash exposure; Crashes; Drivers; Females; Gender; Males
• Uncontrolled Terms: Negative binomial regression; Spatial variation
• Geographic Terms: Houston Metropolitan Area
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01339633
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309160834
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 11 2011 2:21PM