More Young Women Are Driving Faster: Survey
NU Online News Service, Aug. 27, 4:24 p.m. EDT?According to a new study, more young women are willing to bend the rules when it comes to following speed limits on highways and local roads, compared to their male counterparts.
In a national survey from The Hartford Financial Services Group in Hartford, Conn., some 56 percent of female respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 said it's "acceptable" to drive 10 m.p.h. over the speed limit on highways. In comparison, only 46 percent of males in that age bracket said they would drive past this limit.
Even on local roads, more young women are likely to drive above the speed limit, with 21 percent of female respondents in the 18-to-25 age group saying it's OK to speed. On the other hand, only 13 percent of male respondents in that age group said they would drive above the local speed limit.
"When it comes to driving, young women definitely appear to be living more dangerously," said George Thacker, senior vice president for personal-lines marketing at The Hartford. "And like the male hot-rodder of the past, they're suffering more of the consequences," Mr. Thacker added.
One major consequence, according to the study, is that more young women now get into fender-benders. "Forty-five percent of young women report being in an accident in the past three years, compared to 33 percent of young male drivers," Mr. Thacker pointed out.
But, the survey found that 48 percent of young men in the survey have received a speeding ticket, in contrast to only 37 percent of young women interviewed, even though young men are speeding less.
According to Mr. Thacker, that disparity may be attributable to female drivers' more cautious driving habits. "The good news is that when it comes to obeying common rules of the road, young women tend to drive more cautiously than young men," he said. "They're more likely than their male counterparts to reduce speed when roads are wet, to avoid passing vehicles on the right and to stop when a school bus has yellow lights flashing."
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