Texting & Driving: Are Women Worse Than Men?

In spite of the fact that texting and driving has time and time again proven to be a deadly combination, 47% of adults who text admit to doing it.

But which gender is more guilty of texting and driving?

Women Send More Texts Than Men

Your gut reaction might be that women are more likely to be distracted while driving. After all, studies show that women talk an average of 818 minutes a month on the phone, compared to 640 minutes per month for men. And women send out more text messages per month, 716 to the average man’s 555 texts.

But you’d be wrong. 

Men are actually more likely to text while driving. According to the NHTSA, 19% of men text while driving, as opposed to 17% of women. While both genders seem to recognize that distracted driving is dangerous, men downplay that danger because they consider themselves to be skilled drivers.

Age Is a Better Predictor of Texting and Driving Behavior

Gender is definitely not the only factor that impacts texting and driving habits. Eighty percent of college students text while driving. And in studies looking at drivers under 21 years old, the statistics are dramatically different. Teenage girls are twice as likely to text while driving as teenage boys.

April is National Distracted Driving Month, a perfect time for drivers of all ages and genders become more aware of the dangers that texting and driving can cause, both for themselves and other drivers.

Sources:
Pew Research Center
Bloomberg Business
LA Times
Emirates 27/7
NHTSA