Women are somewhat more likely than men to be involved in minor car accidents on a per-mile-driven basis, but men are up to 50-100% more likely to be involved in fatal car crashes than women. Why is that?
More than four times as many men than women were arrested for drunk driving in 2004, according to sociologist Jennifer Schwartz. Males are also much more likely to disobey traffic laws. They run red lights, tailgate, and race other drivers on the road.
Researcher Dana Yagil has found that most women see traffic laws as necessary and will obey them, even if they have no direct effect on safety. Men tend to view such laws as "optional" and treat them with a degree of skepticism.
Ultimately, it is men's propensity for aggression that also manifests itself in transportation. Heightened aggression leads to dangerous, emotionally-charged recklessness behind the wheel.
Men are also thrill seekers, much more so than women, and this tempts them into risky driving behaviors. For men, driving is more about the power, speed, and danger that they experience behind the wheel than getting from A to B, but it can go horribly wrong. Often, it ends in the death of one or more individuals.
