Why are Women More Likely Than Men to Sustain Serious Injuries in Car Accidents?

Numerous studies have shown women are more likely than men to sustain serious injuries in car accidents. According to one recent study b the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a significant factor in this is the types of vehicles men and women are more likely to drive.

Let’s take a look at the findings from the study.

Data of interest

According to the IIHS research, men are involve din more fatal crashes than women, but based on per-crash averages, women are still anywhere from 20 to 28 percent more likely than men to die in an accident, and 37 to 73 percent more likely to be seriously injured, with adjustments for speed and various other factors.

The statistics analyzed by researchers revealed women were more likely to drive smaller, lighter cars, and that they were also more likely to be driving the vehicle that gets struck rather than the striking vehicle, at least in side-impact and front-into-rear crashes. Those were significant factors in the difference in rates of serious injuries and fatalities.

Men tended to get into crashes in heavier vehicles, which provided more protection in collisions. Women were also more likely to sustain both moderate and serious injuries in front crashes.

The IIHS study called for further crash tests with crash test dummies that better reflect the way female bodies react to the present forces in collisions to reduce the gap and make these vehicles safer for everyone, no matter the size of the vehicle or the driver.

For more information about the steps you should take if you’ve been injured in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia, LLP.