I am a North Miami Beach car accident lawyer and I was surprised and a little offended at a recent New York Times article that claimed that women were more likely to get injured in a car wreck than male drivers.
The immediate response to many who read this, was simply that women are worse drivers. But our Florida car accident lawyers believe that the University of Virginia study that was the basis of the research, “Vulnerability of Female Drivers Involved in Motor Vehicle Crashes: An Analysis of US Population at Risk,” deserves a closer look.
The analysis consisted of a retrospective cohort with national crash data between 1998 and 2008 to determine the role of driver gender as a predictor of injury outcome when involved in a crash.
The study authored by Dr. Dipan Bose, focused on the the statistical odds, comparing the injuries that a seat-belted female driver sustained compared to a male driver in a comparable crash. The result were that women have a 47% higher likelihood of sustaining a severe injury than male drivers. We believe this is as result of multiple issues more likely attributable to vehicle regulations and safety designs rather than hormones or chromosomes.
For instance, the study found that women are on average 5 ½ inches shorter and 35 pounds lighter than males. In addition, more women drive passenger cars than men. In addition, female drivers are more prone to cervical injuries due to differences in neck strength and musculature in relationship to the positioning of head rests.
Our Coral Springs car safety accident lawyers believe that most cars have been defectively designed products if intended to be purchased and used only by men. This study clearly shows that women desperately need safety features that take their physical differences into account. We recommend that all drivers and passengers use seat belts and properly adjust head restraints for maximum safety.
