Will this come as a surprise to a lot of you? Probably. Some recent research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has come to light that suggests women are more at risk than men of suffering a serious injury in a road accident. What's interesting, however, are the reasons as to why this is the case. This has nothing to do with any physical differences between the genders, but rather it's based on the types of cars women tend to drive and the circumstances surrounding accidents in these types of vehicles.
Leg Injuries Much Higher In Women Related Crashes
As reported by the IIHS on their website, they looked into the crash tests of today and came to the conclusion that while it helped women as much as men, serious leg injuries are much more likely to occur in women than in men, despite men being involved in more fatal accidents. The study shows that women are 20-28 percent more likely than men to be killed, and 37-73 more likely to sustain a serious injury, which is a huge difference.
The Cars Of Choice Are Central To These Accident Statistics
Why is this the case? The answer is quite simple. It is the cars women drive. The numbers from the IIHS indicate women drive smaller, lighter cars than men, and they are more likely to be in the vehicle that gets stricken in an accident, rather than the car that has struck the other vehicle. New crash test dummies may now be developed to simulate how women’s bodies react to the forces of these awful accidents. The IIHS says that when you take out the differences in vehicles, the numbers are much closer.
Numbers Reveal Big Difference In Men & Women Pickup Crashes
Some of the numbers behind this are quite interesting. The IIHS states that when it comes to minivans, the crash statistics are equal. But as the cars get bigger, the gap widens. A total of 70% of women crash in cars, while 60% for men. The most staggering difference is when it comes to pickup trucks. For men, it's around the 20% mark but for women it’s a lot less at just 5%, backing up the evidence that states women tend to have accidents in lighter cars than men.
Source: Insurance Institute For Highway Safety