Guest Post by Rick Console

The first “official” Battle of the Sexes occurred on September 20, 1973, when Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs met on a Houston, Texas, tennis court to see who could win three out of five sets. Of course, this contest was less about tennis and more about gender. While heated arguments arose about which player was better, these arguments paled in comparison to a more enduring Battle of the Sexes—one that had been occurring behind the wheel.

That’s right. Since the beginning of time, women and men have argued over who are the better drivers. Incidentally, Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in three straight sets. But who are better drivers, women or men?

According to women who recently responded to a question on the MetLife American Safety Pulse Poll, the fairer sex wins behind the wheel. Of the women who answered this September 2011 survey more than half—51%—said women were safer drivers. Only 24% were unsure whether women or men were safer drivers.

But is perception reality? Other studies show that it may be.  While there haven’t been any studies to date attempting to evaluate driving “ability,” according to fatality facts released by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, more men than women die every year in motor vehicle crashes. That means when it comes to driving in a manner that increases safety, reduces injury, and preserves life, women win hands down.

According to the study, which looked at motor vehicle deaths by gender between 1975 and 2009, men drive more miles than women but also engage in riskier behaviors, such as speeding, driving while impaired by alcohol, and not wearing seatbelts. Men are also involved in more severe car accidents than women. As a matter of fact, during the same time period occupant death rates were about 2 to 2 ½ times higher for males than for females. However, in crashes of similar severity, women were more likely than men to be injured or killed.

Interestingly, age is a factor as well. Up to about age 59, men continue to trump women when it comes to fatal car accidents. But after about age 60, fatality rates for men and women are similar. Men and women between the ages of 16 and 19 have the largest discrepancy when it comes to traffic fatalities.

On the other hand, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Study showed that from 1973 to the mid-2000s, female deaths resulting from motor vehicle accidents rose 14%, compared with an 11% decrease for male drivers. This statistic can be attributed, in some part, to the fact that more women are driving than in previous decades. But are they also becoming more aggressive? Only further studies will tell.

In the meantime, insurance premiums for male drivers continue to be higher than those of female drivers, especially when drivers are on the younger side. And as long as men are in accidents that result in more expensive insurance claims, we don’t see this changing. 

Sorry guys! All things considered, we’re going to have to award game, set, and match of this Battle of the Sexes to the women.