Who has a higher risk of serious injuries in car accidents?
According to a study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), women are more likely to suffer serious injuries in car accidents than men.
This discrepancy might appear to be the result of physical differences between the sexes, but it is not. Researchers have taken steps to eliminate these factors. There has been criticism over the years that crash testing has not focused enough on women’s safety. There is a strong push for smaller crash-test dummies that are closer to female proportions.
As a result of a higher propensity for speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors, men are more likely to be involved in fatal car accidents, according to IIHS initial data.
The data shows that women are 20 to 28 percent more likely to be killed in a crash, and 37 to 73 percent more likely to suffer serious injuries. Crash testing and auto safety improvements provide valuable information on vehicle safety for both sexes, according to researchers.
The Types of Accidents that were Evaluated
In the IIHS study, data was reviewed on car accidents involving head-on collisions or side-impact crashes involving men and women. Tow-away accidents that had been reported to the police were the subject of the study. Both single-vehicle accidents and two-vehicle crashes were analyzed from 1998 to 2015. Among the accidents studied, small passenger cars with deployed airbags were singled out.
When it comes to front-end accidents, there were the biggest discrepancies between the sexes. According to the data, women are three times more likely to suffer moderate injuries, such as broken bones or concussions, in head-on collisions.
In front-end collisions, women are more likely to suffer serious brain injuries and major organ injuries. The injuries caused by side-impact accidents were 50 percent higher among women than they were among men.
Factors that Increased Severe and Fatal Injuries Among Women
In an analysis of serious front-end and side-impact collisions, researchers found that two factors caused women to be more vulnerable to accidents:
Choice of Vehicle
Based on comparisons of crash data, vehicles involved in the accidents had different shapes, which affected the injuries reported. It is more common for women to drive smaller cars, which are less protective in an accident. They found that crash rates were similar between men and women drivers of minivans and SUVs.
Among crashes involving smaller vehicles, women accounted for 70 percent of the crashes. Cars accounted for 60 percent of all crashes involving men. The study found that 20 percent of male pick-up truck drivers were female, but only five percent of female victims were female pick-up drivers. Larger vehicles were more likely to be crashed by men, so they were better protected as a result.
The Impacted Vehicle
In addition, women are more likely to be inside the vehicle that is struck, which makes them more vulnerable to injury. For the study, the researchers gathered data from the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Data indicate that male drivers are more likely to collide with other vehicles in front-to-rear and front-to-side crashes. Injuries to the occupants of the vehicle that received the initial impact are more likely to be serious.
Is the New Study Important?
This study will be used by the IIHS to evaluate how its vehicle testing program can be improved. A lead researcher on the project said that the information found in the report has many benefits. The findings reveal that women are more likely than men to suffer leg injuries in the types of crashes that were studied. More research is needed in this area.
Providing consumers with useful safety information on crash test ratings and vehicle safety features that reduce injuries for men and women will be made easier by the findings of the study. Women and men have both benefitted from safety feature improvements to seat belts, airbags, and protective cabin reinforcements. The study revealed, however, that there is still room for improvement when it comes to smaller vehicles, such as automatic emergency braking.
A similar study was done in 2011 to determine whether motor vehicle trauma has been effectively reduced over the past decades; however, at the time, it was unclear whether the benefits are equally realized by male and female vehicle users. As the number of female drivers involved in fatal crashes has increased, and driver behavior and risk behaviors are similar, we wanted to find out if advances in occupant safety technology provide equal injury protection for male and female drivers involved in serious or fatal crashes.
In the United States, auto safety is improving, but car accidents remain a common occurrence. You need to contact a car accident lawyer as soon as possible following a collision in order to recover compensation for severe injuries, pain and suffering, and lost wages.
At Bodden & Bennett, we believe in promoting the safety of all motorists
This study indicates that there is a need to improve automobile safety, especially for women. You might be able to receive compensation from the at-fault driver if you have suffered serious injuries in a car accident.
A South Florida car accident lawyer at Bodden & Bennett can help you obtain fair compensation for your medical bills and other expenses resulting from your accident. Contact us online or call us at (561) 806-5229 for a free case evaluation.
