In France, a civil society organization called Victimes & Citoyens, which works in the field of road safety, has launched a campaign to debunk the sexist perception that men are better drivers than women: ‘Drive Like a Woman’.
In France, a civil society organization called Victimes & Citoyens, which works in the field of road safety, has launched a campaign to debunk the sexist perception that men are better drivers than women: ‘Drive Like a Woman’.
Based on data from the France’s National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory 2022-2023, the campaign highlights that 84% of fatal accidents are caused by men.
According to a report by the French government, in 2022, 3,550 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in mainland France and overseas territories.
Victimes & Citoyens also cited data showing that 88% of young drivers are killed by men, 93% of drunk drivers involved in accidents are men, and women are eight times less likely than their male counterparts to have a fatal accident on the road.
‘Driving like a woman = Staying alive’
On the group’s website, it states, “When we look at the figures, they are clear: to stay alive behind the wheel, the best thing for men to do is adopt the same behavior as women.”
Drawing on similar statistical data from the United States, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, between 1975 and 2021, the number of fatalities in crashes involving men each year is more than twice the number of fatalities in crashes involving women.
The Institute attributes this to riskier driving habits among men compared to women, including speeding, not wearing seat belts, and driving under the influence of alcohol, alongside the fact that men tend to cover more mileage than women.