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The number of women killed annually in car crashes has more than doubled since 1975, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but it's not because they've become worse drivers.
| Women drove 378 billion miles in 1975, but that figure skyrocketed to 886 billion in 1998, a whopping 135 percent increase. |
"It's just that there has been a huge increase in women driving and the number of miles they drive," says IIHS spokesperson Russ Rader.
For example, 55 percent more women were licensed to drive in 1998 than in 1975, while the number of male drivers only increased 32 percent during that time. But the study's most revealing statistic? Women drove a total of 378 billion miles in 1975, but that figure skyrocketed to 886 billion miles in 1998, a whopping 135 percent increase. During the same period, the mileage driven by men increased 48 percent.
The annual mileage per driver also increased at a faster rate among women, according to the the IIHS. On average, a woman drove 71 percent more miles per year in 1995 than she did in 1977. This compares with an average 24 percent mileage increase among men.
The IIHS designed the study to determine why the number of female drivers in fatal crashes has risen 60 percent since 1975, while the number of male drivers in fatal crashes has actually declined 10 percent.
| Number of fatal crashes by driver gender, 1975 to 1998 |
| Gender |
Year |
Crashes |
Change |
| Men |
1975 |
45,084 |
— |
| Men |
1985 |
44,290 |
-2 percent |
| Men |
1998 |
40,360 |
-9 percent |
| Women |
1975 |
9,356 |
— |
| Women |
1985 |
12,031 |
+29 percent |
| Women |
1998 |
14,937 |
+24 percent |
| Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety |
When the IIHS factored in changes in the total annual miles driven by men and women during the study period, it found that fatal crash rates per miles have actually decreased 40 percent for both men and women.
However, gender differences still exist. Male drivers' fatal crash rates per mile are approximately 1.8 times those of women, a difference that IIHS says remains basically unchanged from 25 years ago.
Men are also more likely to be involved in single-vehicle crashes that occur on weekend nights. They're less likely to wear their seat belts and more likely to have been drinking prior to their crashes. Men are also more likely than women to have suspended licenses or previous convictions.
"Our study shows that women have not picked up men's bad driving habits, such as speeding," Rader says.
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