Gender Differences

The major differences in the driving patterns of older men and women are outlined below:

• Older men are more likely to die in a crash
  One study of older drivers indicated that men are 60 percent more likely than women to be involved in car crashes.⁷⁶ This study also showed that gender was a more important risk factor than age in the likelihood of having a crash,⁷⁷ meaning that 85-year-old women drivers were less likely to be involved in crashes than 70-year-old male drivers. The difference between men and women holds true for people of all races and ethnicities.⁷⁸

  Possible reasons for the difference in crash rates between men and women include:

  • Men drive longer than women and may continue to drive in spite of increasing frailty
  • Women may be more cautious drivers than men
  • Women drive less frequently

  

• Women take fewer trips
  Women ages 65 and above report an average of 1.5 trips per day. Between 1983 and 1990, women of all ages showed an increase in the number of trips they took per day, while men ages 65 and above continue to make approximately 2.25 trips per day.⁷⁹

• Women drive fewer miles than men
  The average number of miles driven annually is much less for women than for men. However, women of all ages are growing increasingly dependent on the private car. A noticeable jump occurred between 1983 and 1990, when there was a 51.8 percent increase in the average number of miles driven annually by women over 65.⁸⁰

• Men and women benefit equally from using safety belts
  In one study, a small sample suggests that women are more likely to use safety belts than men.⁸¹ Men and women are equally protected from death in a crash if they use their safety belts.⁸²

Aging-service providers are justified in directing their attention to driver education and rehabilitation for older men because of their greater risk of crashing. However, older women are becoming a bigger part of the overall traffic picture in communities and should not be ignored. As they catch up to men in terms of miles driven annually and number of trips per day, monitoring their crash rates will be an important factor in planning community transportation and education services. Since women stop driving earlier, they are more at risk of isolation. Women especially may benefit from driver education and retraining to increase their confidence and their ability to drive safely.

Finally, women in general tend to take responsibility for the well-being of their loved ones, and consequently they are often in a position to influence the behavior of the men in their lives, including driving and mobility choices.

⁷⁶ Hu, P.S, Trumble, D., and Lu, A. (July 1995) Driving Decisions and Vehicle Crashes among Older Drivers 2-20. Report No. ORNL/M-4620 (prepared for NHTSA). Oak Ridge National Laboratory, The Center for Transportation Analysis. Retrieved from The Center for Transportation Analysis on the World Wide Web: www-cta.ornl.gov/Publications/older.pdf.

⁷⁷ Ibid.

⁷⁸ Stevens, J.A., and Dellinger, A.M. (2002) "Motor vehicle and fall related deaths among older Americans 1990-98: sex, race and ethnic disparities." Table 1, Number and rates of motor vehicle deaths by sex, race and ethnicity for persons aged 65 years and older, U.S., 1990-98. Injury Prevention 8(4):272-75.

⁷⁹ Rosenbloom, p. 17.

⁸⁰ Ibid., p. 18.

⁸¹ NHTSA (2000) Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey: Volume 2, Seat Belt Report.

⁸² Hu, et al. Projecting Fatalities, p. 8-4.