Who Causes More Car Accidents in San Diego: Men or Women?

David Muñoz | September 30, 2024 | Car Accidents

Who Causes More Car Accidents in San Diego: Men or Women?

Thousands of car accidents occur on San Diego roads in any given year. They happen for a wide range of reasons, such as speeding and impaired driving. But can a driver’s gender contribute to a crash as well?

San Diego Traffic Accident Statistics

There were more than 3,282 fatal car accidents in California in 2023, according to the University of California, Berkeley. In San Diego County during the same year, 223 crashes killed drivers and passengers.

The top causes of car accidents in San Diego include:

Results of a LendingTree analysis of the 50 largest U.S. cities reveal that San Diego ranks seventh among cities with the highest DUI rates, with a rate of 0.87 per 1,000 drivers. Los Angeles ranks third, with a rate of 1.12 per 1,000 drivers.

Men vs. Women Drivers

Up until recently, insurance companies charged male California drivers higher rates than female drivers. This was due to statistics consistently showing that men are in more accidents than women. 

Data indicates that men represent the majority of traffic crash fatalities here in California and across the United States. They also have higher DUI rates and a greater chance of police pulling them over. While this is changing, historically, men have spent more time on the road.

Joining several other states, California outlawed this insurance practice in 2019 to prevent gender-based discrimination in the state’s insurance industry. And, as the state reasoned, drivers don’t have control over their gender.

What State and Local Data Show

State and local data continue to show that men have higher rates of injury and death from car accidents. For example, between 2017 and 2021, California males had higher age-adjusted death rates due to motor vehicle collision injuries compared to females. On average, males had an injury and death rate that was 2.7 times higher than that of females.

In 2021, San Diego County men had greater actual and age-adjusted rates of death due to auto accident injuries compared to women. These, respectively, were 14.1 per 100,000 residents and 14.0 per 100,000 residents.

Age and Race Also Heighten Risk

Age and race also elevate risk. In San Diego County, for instance, Hispanic residents had the highest actual and age-adjusted rates of motor vehicle-related death in 2021 at, respectively, 11.6 per 100,000 residents and 12.1 per 100,000 residents.

Driving while impaired has long had a correlation with age. The LendingTree analysis shows that Gen Z, in the 12 to 27-year-old age group, has the highest DUI rate at 0.39 per 1,000 drivers. Millennials, in the 28 to 43-year-old age group, come in second at 0.32 per 1,000 drivers.

Young Women Have Higher Fatality Rates

Research published in PLoS One earlier this year found that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death of adults in the 18 to 29-year-old age range worldwide. It also revealed that women in the 20 to 40-year-old age range have a 20% greater risk of dying in a crash when compared to men in the same age group. 

The researchers could not explain the increased risk but propose it may be related to injury patterns linked to vehicle design.

Are Men Worse Drivers Than Women?

In the United States, many shrug off the male-vs-female car crash and fatality data by saying, “Men are worse drivers than women.” But it could be much more complex. There are still many unknowns surrounding the role of gender in traffic crashes, so it continues to be explored by researchers. 

Contact the San Diego Car Accident Law Firm of Mission Personal Injury Lawyers Today To Get More Information

If you’ve been injured in a car accident in San Diego or Chula Vista, please call Mission Personal Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer or contact us online.

We proudly serve San Diego County and throughout California.

Mission Personal Injury Lawyers
2515 Camino del Rio S Suite 350, San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 777-5555

Mission Personal Injury Lawyers – Chula Vista Office
690 Otay Lakes Rd #130, Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 722-3032

We also serve the state of Texas. Contact our personal injury law office in El Paso for legal assistance today.

Mission Personal Injury Lawyers – El Paso Office
201 E Main Suite 106, El Paso, Texas 79901
(915) 591-1000