More women than men drive, a new trend that has a big impact

More women than men drive, a new trend that has a big impact A study released by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute on the 12th showed that the gender gap has long been that there are more men than women driving...

There are more women than men driving, and a new trend has a big impact Research released by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute on the 12th showed that the long-standing gender gap between men and women in car driving has reversed. By 2010, there were 157 million women with driver's licenses in the United States, more than 143 million men. This was mainly because the number of male teenagers and young adults with driver's licenses dropped significantly. Researchers say more women than men on the road could have safety and economic implications. The study examined the driver's license gender gap from 1995 to 2010 and found that the number of male and female teenagers and young adults with a driver's license fell, but the decline was greater for men. For example, the number of men aged 25 to 29 who had a driver's license fell by 10.6 percent over the past 15 years, while the number of women who had a driver's license fell by only 4.7 percent. Sivac, who co-authored the study, said the change would have a significant impact on vehicle demand, energy consumption, and road safety. He said women were more likely than men to buy smaller, safer and more fuel-efficient cars and they tended to drive less, which in turn led to lower average fatal crashes. Male drivers have been outpacing women since Ford invented the first car in 1908, but starting in the mid-1950s, the number of women driving began to increase. In 1995, there were 89.2 million male drivers, only slightly more than the 87.4 million female drivers. By 2010, there were more women than men with driver's licenses in both the over-45 and 25 to 29 age groups; among those under 44, men slightly outnumbered women as drivers, but the study says that's only because men outnumber women in the overall population. There are now 105 boys born for every 100 girls born each year, but women live longer than men, with an average lifespan of 80 and 75 years respectively. Schivak said part of the decline in young drivers is due to increased Internet use. A study released by the institute earlier this year found that teenagers and young adults had lower driver's license ownership in countries with higher Internet use, suggesting that online exposure reduces the need for personal contact. Other researchers say digital media and technology have made driving less attractive and public transportation more attractive because texting while driving is both dangerous and illegal in most states. Nancy McCulkin, a travel behavior analyst, said that the reasons for the decrease in young drivers also include: For young people, car worship is fading. They have grown up sitting in the back seat of cars and listening to their parents complain about traffic jams, and driving is no longer romantic; now car engines are very complicated, and there is no sense of accomplishment in repairing cars by yourself; in addition, economic reasons have caused many people to live with their parents, and the high unemployment rate among young people makes them unable to afford expensive car insurance premiums.