Battle Of The Sexists

A study out this morning tread on very thin ice. Depending on where you read it, if you read it, it may have had a very misleading headline.

Its banner worthy conclusion was that men are more likely to die in a car crash, than women. If a person were to read only that statistic it might cause them to deduce, incorrectly, that women are better drivers. Nope, that’s not what it said. It said that men, on average, spend more time on the road, drive longer distances and therefore increase their risk.

But the study didn’t explain a couple of other findings such as an 82 year old woman who drives too carefully is more likely to get killed in a crash than a speed-demon 16 year old boy. In my unscientific study as a licensed driver for many years, it seems to me that the 82 year old is more likely to cause somebody else to die! And the 16 year old? Well, we have graduated licenses now for a reason.

Another fact that my Harley driving brother will probably pooh-pooh is that a motorcycle driver has a 32 times greater risk of dying than a car driver. That one seems logical. Harley Davidson leathers are no match when they come up against a fiberglass bumper.

And the safest passenger of all? Parents should take comfort from this. It’s a child strapped properly into a car seat, driven during the morning rush. The key word there is “properly”. Soon, Toronto firefighters will be trained to install the seats so parents can get a free tutorial. And by parents I mean, of course, Moms. There’s just something about that uniform….