Women are 60% more likely to be injured in car accidents than men

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An extensive study carried out in Austria on almost 2,000 road accidents between 2012 and 2024 revealed an alarming discrepancy: when a man and a woman are involved in the same collision, the woman is 60% more likely to be injured. Worse, women are twice as likely to die, especially in low-speed crashes. Researchers at the Technical University of Graz (TU Graz) reconstructed each crash using virtual human computer models to compare the impact effects on male and female bodies.

“Our analyzes show that women are injured disproportionately more often, especially in the chest, spine, arms and legs,” said project coordinator Dr. Corina Klug.

Klug’s team noticed that women over the age of 50 were particularly vulnerable. A crucial detail is that all the victims analyzed were involved in the same accidents, traveled in the same vehicles, and factors such as car type or speed could not explain the differences. “In our study, both women and men were involved in the same crashes and traveled in the same vehicles, meaning that the differences were not due to vehicle type, crash speed or crash configuration,” Klug told BBC Science Focus. She added: “Nor can the differences be explained simply by the fact that women are more frequent passengers, although this factor increases the gap.”

The explanation, scientists say, lies in how the auto industry has been testing vehicle safety for decades. Manufacturers have traditionally used crash test dummies that are the size and shape of an average 1970s American man: 175 cm tall and 78 kilograms. Although some companies have started using “female” mannequins as well, they are in reality just smaller versions of the male mannequin, being shorter and lighter than 95% of real women. “Women are not little men,” Klug said. “And models of very small, petite women are often unable to represent what we see in accidents.” Thus, vehicles are designed to be maximally safe for the male body, leaving women at a much greater risk.

To correct this inequality, the authors of the study propose two major solutions. The first is to redesign the female crash test dummies so that they are heavier and reflect the actual female anatomy – with a wider pelvis, fuller chest and slimmer shoulders. The second solution aims at the widespread use of virtual crash models, which allow the simulation of impacts on a wide range of bodies and seating positions.

Until then, the researchers recommend some simple steps that drivers and passengers can take immediately. Correct seat position is essential, warns Klug: “We’ve all seen a passenger seat positioned far back or even reclined. However, airbags and seat belts are not designed for such non-standard positions.” The study showed that the more reclined or pulled back the passenger seat becomes, the more dangerous it is. Co-author Dr Felix Ressi, also from TU Graz, told BBC Science Focus: “Adjust your seat belt properly. The hip belt should sit on the pelvic bone and the shoulder belt should sit on the sternum and be aligned with the middle of the collarbone.”