Is the Rate Differential Between Young Male and Female Drivers Still Justified?

According to a study published this week in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, cited by U.S. News & World Report, in 1996, an underage male driver (aged 16-20) with a blood alcohol concentration of .1 percent was four times as likely as a similarly impaired underage female to get into a fatal car accident.

By 2007, that gap had closed.

Eduardo Romano, one of the study's co-authors, speculates that the rise in fatal accidents among female drivers may be related to Independent Women (Part I)'s new found taste for danger, in the form of night driving.

"I think it's a reflection that women have become more independent out in the world. In the past, men always drove on dates, now more women are driving themselves. They're driving more often at night," he says. "Night is always a much more risky time to drive."

According to a AAA report released last week, newly licensed teen girls are also twice as likely as boys to use an electronic device while driving. They are more likely to eat, drink, and adjust non-essential controls like the radio or air conditioner. Boys are more likely to turn around and interact with people outside the vehicle. Girls are more likely to groom themselves while driving.


Journal of Studies of Alcohol and Drugs study is here

AAA report: Distracted Driving Among Newly Licensed Teen Drivers is here