Gender in a DC car accident is relevant for several reasons. Gender influences everything from the way people drive to the way people react to a driver in some instances and the injury outcomes. While many may not want to generalize based on gender, that does not stop insurance providers from doing so. A glance at car accident statistics will show glaring differences in how men and women drive. Moreover, in a legal context, the gender of the accident victim can have tremendous legal implications. For one, the damages of a person who supports their family financially may be entitled to more financial compensation than someone with no dependents. Additionally, if one is a stay-at-home parent, and that parent cannot care for their children because of injuries sustained in a car accident, that has implications on your general damages, too.
The statistics forthcoming will show the difference in accidents and fatalities between males and females. While age is also a factor and ties into gender, we will control for age in our analysis. While we do not intend for you to discriminate against either gender after reading the information discussed here, it is essential to understand the facts surrounding this topic. Insurance providers leverage this information for profit; it has legal implications in the courtroom, and you need to learn about it to protect your rights.
The impact of gender on driving behavior is expansive. While one might not expect gender in a DC car accident to play a significant role, it has a plethora of implications to be aware of.
It is agreed that men are more likely to take risks than women. A meta-analysis by Byrnes, Miller, and Schafer, reviewing over 150 publications, “clearly” indicated that males are more likely to take risks than females. How does that translate to car accidents? Several risk factors on the road contribute to car accidents. These include speeding, violating traffic signals, and aggressive driving, such as tailgating. The studies by Byrnes et al. established that men take more risks than women in four of the five studied categories. The four categories in which men did take more risk included finance, health and safety, recreation, and ethics. Meanwhile, the only category with no distinguishable difference was social risk. Health and safety translate most directly to driving and car accidents in DC.
The research shows that an average male is more likely to risk his health and safety while driving than a female. This may include performing dangerous stunts such as speeding excessively or something as simple and seemingly innocent as mistiming a left turn on a green light.
On the other hand, based on the research, women may be just as likely to drive unsafely if there is social pressure. This is particularly relevant at a younger age when peer pressure in a school environment may be most prevalent. Thus, parents must be aware of this dilemma for young female drivers.
Females tend to be more compliant with traffic laws – a critical note for gender in a DC car accident. Women are likelier to wear seat belts, observe speed limits, and follow traffic signals. This may be attributable to the findings discussed in the abovementioned studies: women are less likely to take risks than men. While we do not know exactly why women are more compliant with traffic laws than women, as there are issues with correlation versus causation, we see that it is the case. One reason may be that women are better at getting out of speeding tickets. Thus, the method for collecting this data may need to be fixed.
One theory explored and tested is that women assume the negative consequences than men would more emotionally harm them. Thus, they have higher stakes if they do not comply with traffic laws. If true, this may explain why they are more compliant on average. As they are more compliant, it makes sense that there are considerably fewer DC car accidents and fatalities involving women than there are men. This is the case despite men, on average, weighing more and being able to withstand slightly more physical trauma than women due to the sheer weight difference we observe on average.
Studies show that men drive, on average, more than women. This has several implications worth exploring. First, if men drive on the road more, they expose themselves to the risk of a car accident. Remember that you do not have to drive negligently to be in a car accident. That may explain, at least in part, why men get in more car accidents than women. Simply by driving on the road, you are more likely to come across a drunk driver, drugged driver, or some other known risk on the road. Conversely, driving more provides more experience for drivers. We have learned that, regardless of gender, your age and inexperience are also factors in whether you will be involved in a car accident.
If you are a man who loves to drive, as more men than women do, you are more likely to have experience driving. This can lead to better anticipation of other drivers on the road, a critical skill that all driving schools look to instill in their students.
More men drive trucks, taxis, and Ubers. While this has nothing to do with the driver’s skill or age, it is a male-dominated industry. By participating in this industry, you will be behind the wheel for several hours more daily than a woman. This is exposure to the risk of a DC car accident. It is also a significant reason why gender in a DC car accident is relevant.
We have touched on the fact that gender can affect your insurance premiums. While this sounds discriminatory, the truth is that insurance providers discriminate all the time. While some classes are protected, others are not. Insurance providers may discount younger drivers if they make the honor roll in school. They will also charge higher premiums to younger drivers because they have less experience than older drivers, and the statistics show that they are more likely to get into accidents. But gender in a DC car accident extends beyond insurance.
Gender can also influence the courtroom. While it should not necessarily be the case, remember that parts of the evaluation process of the value of your case are subjective. While your medical expenses and lost wages are precise and fully compensable so long as there is adequate insurance coverage, your medical expenses are causally related to your accident, and your time missed from work is excused by your doctor. Beyond a few technical details, those are set from the start. However, your pain and suffering are subjective. Even for the same injury, one jury may award a different amount of pain and suffering damages than another. While gender is not the ultimate factor, it is more so whether the jury finds the plaintiff likable and empathizes with the plaintiff’s injuries and position.
A jury may empathize more with a woman than a man. But of course, this depends on the jurors and the day they are having, too. Every case is different, and there is no telling what makes one juror feel a given way.
Gender in a DC car accident is a critical component of your case. If you have any questions regarding the role of gender in a legal proceeding for a car accident case, call our office for a free consultation. Our trusted attorneys have been handling car accident cases in Washington, D.C., for 70 years.
Our phones are available 24/7 at (202) 331-7227.
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