Fatal crash circumstances for 48 belted female drivers were studied in-depth, and compared to those of 83 belted male drivers in a similar population of vehicles. Women had a higher incidence of crashes on slippery roads, during lane changes and passing maneuvers than men who had a higher rate of aggressive driving and speed related crashes (X2 = 10.471, p less than 0.001). Driver- side damage was significantly more frequent in female than male crashes (X2 = 5.74, p less than 0.025), and women had a higher fraction of side impacts (45.9% versus 31.4%) and crashes during daylight (87.0% versus 72.3%, X2 = 3.65, p less than 0.05) than men. Women also had a higher fraction of potentially avoidable crashes than men (57.5% versus 39.0%) and a lower involvement related to aggressive driving (10.6% versus 25.6%). These differences were statistically significant (X2 = 5.41, p less than 0.025). Thirty percent of the avoidable fatal crashes of women occurred on slippery roads where the driver's reaction and experience in handling a vehicle in an emergency may be a factor. (A)
Samenvatting