Who Drives Drunk More Often: Men or Women?
For years, men have been paying more for their car insurance because of the assumed increased risk of drunk driving incidents, perceived higher accident rate, and other issues. Recent studies, however, indicate that women are rapidly closing the gap, says Zev Goldstein, a NY traffic attorney. The increase in women who have been pulled over for driving under the influence of alcohol shows that men aren’t the only ones guilty of this crime.
Why More Women are Driving Drunk
In the last decade, there have been a number of targeted campaigns aimed at reducing the number of men who are getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. Education concerning alcohol use and driving is readily available, but it’s primarily aimed at beer-drinking men, whose faster metabolisms, higher body mass, and higher tolerance might keep them safer behind the wheel than women. Men are familiar with the “wait-an-hour-per-drink” standard. Many middle-class women, however, aren’t drinking beer. They’re drinking wine—and they aren’t aware of just how strong its impact on them can be.
Women are More Vulnerable to Alcohol’s Effects
While there are rare few women who are fully capable of drinking the men in their lives under the table, for the most part, women simply can’t metabolize alcohol as quickly as men. Not only that, their smaller size and lower muscle mass mean that they’re going to be hit harder by the effects of alcohol and experience those effects longer—which means that it takes less alcohol for a woman to reach the legal limit or to drive unsafely.
Drunk Driving Statistics by Gender
Between 2003 and 2012, female DUI arrests went up almost 21%. During that same period of time, male instances of driving under the influence went down nearly 17%. This is caused in part by harsher DUI laws in many states, but also reflects a growing trend of women who drink and drive.
What about the LGBT Community?
The LGBT community as a whole experiences a greater risk of substance abuse and risk-taking behaviors. That means that women who fall into this bracket are more likely to drive while under the influence. Since almost 25% of the LGBT community is known to abuse alcohol—compared to around 5-10% of the general population—it’s safe to assume that they are also involved in a higher percentage of drunk driving incidents.
Conclusion: Why You’d Rather Ride with a Woman
In general, women are more cautious drivers than men. Even drunk, they’re less likely to engage in risk-taking behavior behind the wheel. Women are also less likely to have fatal accidents when they do crash as a result of driving under the influence, and their accidents tend to cause lower amounts of property and personal damage.
These disparities probably explain why women are still paying less for car insurance than men in the same age bracket. However, insurance companies are sure to keep a close watch on these statistics over the coming years. As women are involved in increasingly more instances of drunk driving and other types of accidents, insurance rates will likely reflect those changes.
If you are charged with DUI, speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately.
