EVALUATION OF THE ACCIDENT RATES OF MALE AND FEMALE DRIVERS

The goal of this study was to conduct a comparative evaluation of accident rates and patterns for male and female passenger automobile drivers. Two sections of road in Israel, one urban and one rural, were selected for the study. Counts of passenger automobiles by sex of driver were carried out on each section of road. The relative accident rates for male and female drivers on the two roads were assessed by estimating the relative exposure of the two groups and matching it with relative accident frequencies. Accident patterns in terms of severity and type were also compared for the two sexes. The same comparison was made for accidents that occurred on all urban and rural roads in Israel during 1986. It was found that, on the average, accident rates are similar for men and women, for both urban and rural driving conditions. No significant differences in the severity of accidents were found. On rural roads, women were found to be involved in more single-vehicle accidents, whereas men were involved in more collision accidents. Evidence for the lack of driving experience for women was found both in the literature and in the study data. In contrast, women were found to drive considerably more slowly on rural roads. It is suggested that the lesser experience and greater caution of women may counterbalance each other and this was the reason for the similarity found in the accident rates of men and women.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1988/1172/1172-005.pdf
• Record URL:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1172, Traffic Accident Analysis and Roadway Visibility. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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• Authors:
  • Polus, Abishai
  • Hocherman, Irit
  • Efrat, Ehud
• Publication Date: 1988

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 42-46
• Monograph Title: TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ANALYSIS AND ROADWAY VISIBILITY
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1172
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Crash rates; Crash severity; Crash types; Drivers; Females; Males; Rural areas; Single vehicle crashes; Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Comparative analysis
• Old TRIS Terms: Female drivers; Male drivers
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00481002
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0-309-04709-9
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 31 1989 12:00AM