

Women with driver’s licenses now outnumber men

- Associated Press - Monday, November 12, 2012

Women have passed men on the nation's roads. More women than men now have driver's licenses, a reversal of the longtime behind-the-wheel gap that transportation researchers say is likely to have safety and economic implications.


"The changing gender demographics will have major implications on the extent and nature of vehicle demand, energy consumption and road safety," predicted Michael Sivak, co-author of the study. Women are more likely than men to purchase smaller and more fuel-efficient cars, to drive less, and to have a lower fatality rate per distance driven, he said.


Male drivers outnumbered women drivers from the moment the first Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line in 1908, the year the automobile became popular, and through most of the past century. In the 1950s, when only about half of adult women had driver's licenses, jokes about women drivers were a staple of comedians.


Likewise, in 1995 men with driver's licenses outnumbered women in every age group except those older than 70. By 2010, women outnumbered men among drivers ages 45 and older and from 25 to 29 years old. The share of older women who are on hanging onto their driver's licenses also has also increased.



Rising Internet usage may be part of the reason for the decline in the share of young drivers, especially young men, Mr. Sivak said. A previous study by Michigan's transportation institute published earlier this year found that countries that have higher Internet usage also have a lower rate of teens and young adults with licenses.



Another reason for the growing disinterest among young men in driving may be that it is "no longer cool, or even possible, [for young men] to work on your own vehicle," travel behavior analyst Nancy McGuckin noted. "The engines are so complex most people don't even change their own oil. Independence, freedom, being able to customize the car to reflect you -- these are not part of young people's association with vehicles."
