Teenage boys traditionally have been viewed as more dangerous drivers than young female drivers. They have a higher risk of being injured a car accident. The insurance companies are aware of this, which is why young men pay higher premiums than their female peers.
A new study, however, indicates that teenage girls are engaging in risky driving habits. Young women, in fact, were around twice as likely as young men to use electronic devices while driving, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The study also determined that females were 10 percent more likely to be observed engaging in other distracted driver behaviors, such as reaching for an object in the vehicle or eating or drinking.
Los Angeles personal injury attorney Mickey Fine, of the Law Offices of Mickey Fine, has represented seriously injured accident victims. An experienced car accident attorney, Fine has seen first-hand how devastating injuries can be to victims and their families.
Distracted driving has become an epidemic as more people use cell phones and other electronic devices. More than 3,000 highway deaths in 2010 were linked to distracted driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It’s important for parents to talk with their teenagers about the dangers of using cell phones while driving or texting while driving.
Another study looking at gender and car accidents revealed that the number of young female drunk drivers is on the rise. In 2007, the risk of being involved in a drunk driving car accident was about the same for young female drinkers as it was for young male drinkers, according to the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. In 1996, a male under 21 was four times as likely as an underage female to get into a fatal drunk driving car accident with a blood alcohol concentration of .1 percent, according to the study.
