Who’s the Best / Worst Driver? Women, Men, Teens or Seniors

Copyright (c) 2010 Ivana Katz

Men often watch women drivers and roll their eyes in disbelief; women regularly shake their heads disapprovingly at the aggressive driving habits of men. There is no shortage of driver stereotypes in America. Seniors observe teenage motorists warily, expecting them to drive recklessly at too-high speeds. Teens watch their older counterparts and chuckle, believing them incapable of making swift decisions behind the wheel. Does pigeonholing everybody supply a good illustration of each group’s abilities behind the wheel?

This article will explore who are the best and worst drivers among men, women, teens, and seniors. We’ll contrast the driving habits of different groups on the road today. You may discover that your beliefs aren’t totally true.

Men Versus Women: Who Are The Superior Drivers?

Traditionally, men have considered themselves to be more proficient behind the wheel than women. This belief may be due to stereotypes about women that have been cultivated among men for generations. However, the presumption about driving ability oversimplifies a potentially murky issue; and it is based more upon anecdotal evidence than data.

In 2003, the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) found that young male drivers were responsible for a higher percentage of crash-related fatalities than women. The trend shifted among the over-50 population; female drivers over 50 years of age were responsible for more crash deaths than men in the same age group.

In 2006, a road risk analysis report was published by Carnegie Mellon University for the American Vehicle Association (AAA). The report advocates other factors play an important role in determining accident and fatality incidence rates between the genders. Teenage males are far less apt to perish while driving than octogenarian females, for instance. However, the reason is due to their fragility rather than driving capability. The age and model of car driven can also be an important factor (e.g. SUV versus small sedan), number of average miles driven, and likelihood of distractions.

So, to the question of which gender is the better driver, there are far too many variables to know for certain. I should point out that women generally pay less for auto insurance than men. Even though men and women have an equal number of accidents annually, accidents involving males usually cost more. Studies also show that male drivers are more likely than women to be involved in traffic violations.

Teens Versus Seniors: Recklessness And Response

The difference in likelihood of teens and seniors being involved in traffic accidents is less ambiguous than that of men and women. As you might anticipate, teens pose a significantly higher risk of road-related injury and death. This may be due to a penchant for racing, tendency toward distraction, or less-refined decision-making skills than older drivers.

In 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a report showing that teenage motorists represent a disproportionately higher percentage of traffic fatalities than all other age groups. For example, while drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 comprised only 8.5% of the driving population in 2007, they represented 12.7% of accident-related fatalities. Moreover, they represented 15.4% of auto accidents.

For their part, senior drivers cope with limitations behind the wheel that are largely exclusive to their age group. These limitations include decreased response time, partial vision impairment, and a reduction in hearing ability. However, seniors tend to be aware of these constraints; with their greater driving experience they tend to compensate by driving slower. They also tend to drive fewer miles per capita. While there is a marked increase in accident-related fatality rates among seniors as they age (e.g. from 65-69 to 70+), the percentage increase is lower than that for crashes. As such, the increase in fatalities is likely due to their fragility.

It is almost impossible to identify which group (i.e. men, women, teens, and seniors) represents the best and worst drivers in the context of driving skill. Auto insurance premiums seem to favor female drivers between the ages of 50 and 65 due to that age group’s lower proclivity toward risk-taking.

About the Author

Kade Phillips is a contributing writer for several popular insurance quote comparison websites powered by Kanetix. Want to learn more ways for low cost car insurance? Visit us this day! If you are from Canada, we invite you to visit: www.Kanetix.ca to compare all of your personal insurance quotes.

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