DT1/1998
17 September 1998
Road crashes should be considered a major women's health issue according to a series of reports released today by the Federal Office of Road Safety.
"While it is well known that male drivers may be more at risk of death on the road, it is less well known that female drivers have a higher risk of sustaining serious injury", a spokesperson for the Federal Office of Road Safety said.
"In 1995, the rate of hospitalisation of female car drivers (8.35 per 100 million km driven) was higher than that for men (7.35 per 100 million km driven)".
The reports highlight that female drivers are an emerging issue in road safety. Even though the national road toll is decreasing, the number of women drivers killed and hospitalised is increasing. This is due an increase in the number of women obtaining drivers licences and an increase in the amount of travel they are undertaking.
The presence of women as drivers is expected to continue to grow since the level of licensing and the amount of distance travelled is still below that of men. In 1995, 79 per cent of women aged 17 years or over had driving or motor cycle licences compared to 96 per cent of men, and for every kilometre driven in cars by women, men drove 1.5 kilometres.
The spokesperson said research has found that:
- young women have higher rates of crash involvement than mid-age women;
- among women drivers, young women tend to be impatient and engage in behaviours such as tail-gating and speeding -- lapses in concentration when driving are also related to crash involvement of young women;
- mid-age women are generally very safe drivers -- a high stress lifestyle and lapses in concentration are related to crash involvement in this age group; and
- women born overseas tended to have a higher level of involvement in crashes than those born in Australia.
The three reports released today were:
- CR177 Review of Literature relating to Male and Female Drivers - a literature review of female driver research to summarise work done to date both in Australia and abroad;
- CR178 A Statistical Overview of Road Crash Involvement - a statistical analysis of female driver involvement in fatal and serious crashes in Australia to monitor trends and identify significant issues; and
- CR179 Driving Behaviours and Road Crash Involvement - a survey of female drivers to identify features of women's lifestyle, driving habits and attitudes.
Copies of the three reports are available from the Federal Office of Road Safety by phoning (02) 6274 7136
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