Why Women Must Not Drink and Drive

Women should be especially wary of driving after drinking even lightly this New Year’s Eve, according to a study of nationwide car accident statistics conducted by VroomGirls.com, which is an online resource for women about cars.

The study showed that women drivers involved in fatal car crashes after drinking were 7% more likely than men to have blood-alcohol levels at or below 0.08% – the most common legal limit.

About 19.4% of women drivers who were drinking before fatal car crashes had blood-alcohol levels at or below the 0.08% standard, vs. about 18.1% for men.

Overall, male drivers were far more likely than women to be involved in alcohol-related fatal crashes – 17.5% of fatal accidents involving male drivers were alcohol related vs. 9.5% involving female drivers.

“We encourage every driver to be safe and responsible on the road year-round, but it’s especially important during the holiday party season that concludes on New Year’s Eve,” said Tara Weingarten, co-founder and editor-in-chief of VroomGirls. “Drinking and driving never mix.”

VroomGirls reviewed gender differences in 2011 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Among other findings in the VroomGirls study:

• Women drivers were also less likely to be involved in drug-related fatal cashes – 5.3% of fatal accidents involving male drivers were drug related, vs. 4.3% involving female drivers.
• Women were less likely to be speeding when driving in a fatal car crash – 31.7% of fatal accidents of male drivers involved speeding, vs. 24.1% of female drivers
• Women drivers were far more likely to be involved in fatal wrecks involving other vehicles – 54.5% of fatal crashes with female drivers involved another car, vs. 40.4% of male-driver crashes. Conversely, 59.1% of male-driver crash wrecks did not involve a collision with another vehicle.

VroomGirls helps women make an intelligent car-buying decision.