Younger Men and Older Women Have More Risk of Accidents: Study

Younger men and older women are prone to traffic-related injuries, a new study has found.

Researchers at the Barcelona Public Health Agency found that young men and elderly women have more chances of getting hurt from traffic-related injuries such as driving on the road or simply crossing the street.

"Among the youngest pedestrians and drivers, men show a greater risk of mild and serious injury than women, although the differences are reversed as age increases, such that elderly females are more likely to injure themselves than males," Elena Santamariña, one of the authors, explained in a press release.

For the study, the researchers examined data gathered from the 2005 Daily Mobility Survey of Catalonia. The information had data about different modes and times of transportation for around 100,000 people in Spain.

The findings revealed that the young men had higher chances of accidents as they experimented with driving. They were also more likely than women to be speeding or using some kind of psychoactive substance. On the other end, older women were also vulnerable to these injuries because of less driving experiencing.

"Moreover, women tend to drive more along city streets - generally for journeys associated with the family and home - where there is likely to be more congestion, increasing the probability of collision, although the accidents are less serious because the speed is lower," Santamariña added.

Researchers advised that young men and older women should take extra precautions when getting behind a wheel. The study 'Gender differences in road traffic injury rate using time travelled as a measure of exposure,' was published in the journal, 'Accident, Analysis and Prevention.'

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