A New study suggests that guys should consider riding shotgun.
In a striking blow to every man who has ever pulled the “women are bad drivers” card, a new study shows that male drivers are 77 percent more likely to die in a car accident than women (per miles driven). It’s even worse in NYC, where guys account for 80 percent of fatal or near-fatal car accidents.
This has been attributed to men’s tendency to drive faster than women and have less regard for traffic laws (not to mention a masculine affinity for speeding, driving drunk, running stop signs, and therefore crashing twice as often as women do, according to the research).
David Gerard, the Carnegie Mellon University researcher who co-authored the study, takes his own research dead seriously—no pun intended—and travels in the passenger seat with his wife on most trips. “I just put a mitt in my mouth and ride shotgun,” he said.
Need more proof? In his book, “Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity,” ABC News’ John Stossel quotes research by the Social Issues Resource Center:
“A 2002 report analyzed a stack of studies on male and female driving differences and came to a bold conclusion: In all studies and analyses, without exception, men have been shown to have a higher rate of crashes than women.”
We could chalk it up to hunter-gatherer instinct or testosterone, but at the end of it, guys—you may want to consider taking a back seat for your own safety.
—Lu Fong
It all depends on what you mean by a “bad driver”. Sure, men are more likely to die in horrible car accidents while driving, but they’re also more likely to get maimed in bar fights. Does that make women better drinkers and brawlers? I thinketh not.
To understand the male psyche behind the wheel, I highly suggest reading “How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink” by P.J. O’Rourke.