New Study: Men Most at Risk Driving

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have compiled an extensive study of car related traffic deaths and found some surprising new trends. No doubt, the No. 1 statistic you’ll hear on the news tonight is that women are far less likely to die in a car accident than men. How much less? Men are 77% more likely to die in a crash.

Besides the startling fact that 80-year-old women are the most likely group to die in car accidents — even more than teenage boys, who came in No. 2 — we enjoyed the researchers’ candor. In describing why vans are among the safest vehicles on the road, one of the researchers explains, “It’s a combination of they’re safe and the people who drive them are dull.”

There are a few other interesting factoids sprinkled throughout the original AP story, including:

• Drivers between 40 and 50 years old tie for the lowest risk of dying in an accident.
• The death rate on motorcycles is nearly 32 times higher than for cars.
• The deadliest hour is 2 a.m.
• The fewest deaths per mile driven are at 8 a.m.
• 4-year-olds have the lowest death risk.
• New England is the safest region for drivers.

[Risk of Death Higher for Male Drivers, New Times Live via Jalopnik]