01025839

Component

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/156976.aspx

A review of research literature on passenger vehicle safety that focuses on gender differences is provided. Around the world women are licensed and driving more than in the past. The result is that more women are dying in crashes, although more men than women still die in crashes every year because men drive more miles than women and tend to take more risks (speed, driving under the influence of alcohol, less frequent use of seat belts). Men's crashes are often more severe than women's, but when crash severity is controlled for, women are more likely to be killed or injured. Evidence suggests that for the most part vehicle features designed to reduce injuries (e.g., seat belts and airbags) are as effective in protecting women as men. Sometimes they are more effective. For example, improvements to head restraints may be reducing neck injury more for women than men. There also have been changes in crash testing; dummies representing shorter women are beginning to be used. One area that has received limited attention is the safety of pregnant women and their fetuses. The development of a pregnant dummy has been under way for years, and research using both real and computer-simulated pregnant dummies is exploring how factors such as seat belts, airbags, and crash severity affect a pregnant mother and fetus in a crash. As more women drive into their later years and drive more miles, it will be important to evaluate changes in crash characteristics over time as a function of age and sex as well as the types of injuries that women and men sustain.

01025835

English

pp 39-50

2006

Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings

Conference on Research on Women's Issues in Transportation

0309099560

Print

Figures (2) ; References

Age; Air bags; Crash severity; Crash tests; Deployable head restraints; Dummies; Fatalities; Females; Fetus; Gender; Highway safety; Injuries; Literature reviews; Pregnant women; Seat belts; Traffic crashes; Vehicle safety

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

TRIS, TRB

Jun 23 2006 3:36PM

• Community Design and Travel Behavior: Exploring the Implications for Women
• Research on Women's Issues in Transportation, Report of a Conference, Volume 1: Conference Overview and Plenary Papers. Keynote Address
• Understanding Women's and Men's Travel Patterns: The Research Challenge
• Women's Issues in Transportation: Policy and Planning