Florida residents want to stay as safe as possible on the road. While car accidents happen and anyone can be left injured, women are more prone to injuries in a crash.
What does research say?
According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, women are more likely to suffer serious injuries in car accidents than men. The study showed that women drivers and passengers wearing their seat belts are 17% more likely to be killed in car crashes compared with men.
Women are also 73% more likely to suffer serious injuries from crashes occurring to the front of a vehicle. It’s believed that one reason is that crash test dummies are larger than the average woman at 5 feet 9 inches tall and 171 pounds. The dummies more closely represent the average man’s body size.
Why are women at a higher risk of injuries?
It’s thought that women are more likely to drive smaller vehicles while men opt for heavier ones. According to IIHS, heavier vehicles offer more protection in a crash. Smaller vehicles can suffer worse impact when hit from the front or side. Drivers in the vehicle that strikes have lower risks of injury compared with those in vehicles being hit.
Larger vehicles like pickup trucks often lack many more popular safety features. As a result, if one crashes into a smaller vehicle being driven by a woman or with a woman passenger, there’s less protection for the woman getting hit.
Studies show that woman are more likely to suffer moderate to severe injuries compared with men when involved in motor vehicle accidents. They are also more at risk of a lower body injury that could range from moderate to severe and 70% more likely to sustain injuries to their legs compared with men involved in crashes.
Given this data, women should take care when buying a vehicle and choose something protective in the event of an accident. Researching for safety features and crash ratings can help reduce the risk of serious injuries.