Why Women Are At Greater Risk Of Injury, Death Than Men In Accidents

It’s been known that women are more at risk for injury or even death when it comes to car accidents. However, a new study put out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows why that’s the case.

After looking into injuries of both men and women in tow-away front and side crashes from 1998 to 2015, it was found that women were three times as likely to experience a broken bone, concussion or other moderate injury, in front crashes and twice as likely to suffer a serious one such as a collapsed lung or traumatic brain injury.

And it turns out the vehicle women drive, not just physical differences, could be a big factor. While men and women crashed in minivans and SUVs equally, around 70% of women crashed in cars compared with about 60% of men. More than 20% of men crashed in pickups, compared to less than 5% of women.

Men are also more likely to be driving the striking vehicle. So being that men tend to be in larger vehicles which strike with more force, women being hit while driving smaller vehicles leads to the injuries.

“The numbers indicate that women more often drive smaller, lighter cars and that they’re more likely than men to be driving the struck vehicle in side-impact and front-into-rear crashes,” said Jessica Jermakian, IIHS vice president of vehicle research. “Once you account for that, the difference in the odds of most injuries narrows dramatically.”

Essentially, the study found that the numbers are related to the types of vehicles women drive and the circumstances of their crashes, rather than physical differences.