Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Older women, people under 20 are most often at fault for pedal misapplication crashes]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/13/older-women-people-under-20-are-most-often-at-fault-for-pedal-m/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/13/older-women-people-under-20-are-most-often-at-fault-for-pedal-m/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/13/older-women-people-under-20-are-most-often-at-fault-for-pedal-m/#commentsFiled under: ,

elderly woman driving

We hate to reinforce stereotypes as much as anybody else, so we'd like to point out that the source for this story comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. With that out of the way...

According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the recent study found that older women and people under the age of 20 are most likely to mistake the gas pedal for the brake, causing what many have dubbed unintended acceleration. What's more, the majority of pedal misapplication cases take place in parking lots.

In stark contrast, NHTSA has found that nearly two-thirds of all motor vehicle accidents are caused by male drivers. So, why are women so much more likely to mistake their pedals? Says the study:

"Possible explanations might include greater exposure by women where these crashes occur most often (parking lots); a poorer "fit" in their cars due to shorter stature, which may increase the likelihood of a pedal application error; or a disproportionately high rate of one or more functional deficits that contribute to pedal errors, such as neuropathy."

Due to the recent abundance of unintended acceleration claims, NHTSA has proposed that brake override systems be made mandatory on all new cars sold in the United States.

Older women, people under 20 are most often at fault for pedal misapplication crashes originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>elderly driverfemale driversnational highway traffic safety administrationnhtsapedal misapplicationsudden accelerationunintended accelerationFri, 13 Apr 2012 16:45:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20215346/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/04/13/older-women-people-under-20-are-most-often-at-fault-for-pedal-m/20215346/article-detail.xml 20215346 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/elderly-woman-driving_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/elderly-woman-driving.jpg <![CDATA[Answering the Age-Old Question: Who's the safe driver, man or woman?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/29/answering-the-age-old-question-whos-the-safe-driver-man-or-wo/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/29/answering-the-age-old-question-whos-the-safe-driver-man-or-wo/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/29/answering-the-age-old-question-whos-the-safe-driver-man-or-wo/#commentsFiled under:



Nice work, guys. When we're behind the wheel, we're apparently a danger to human life. The New York Times reports that a recent study by the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) says that men are 50 percent to 100 percent more likely to be behind the wheel in a fatal accident than are our female counterparts. The SIRC theorizes that the reason for the discrepancy is that men just don't like rules.

Not just any rules, mind you. We're talking driving rules. The NYT cites several studies that show men are more likely to drink and drive, run a red light, race other drivers and tailgate. Further, one study showed that men were up to four times more likely to drink and drive as women. We're more aggressive, we're three times more likely to honk the horn, and we're statistically proven to be more likely to take risks.

The authors of all these studies feel that the reason for our aggression and risk-taking has something to do with our DNA. Apparently, the hunter within each of us compels us to value speed, strength and a solid quarter mile run. But men aren't always the worst drivers. One study cited by the Times reportedly showed that women were more likely to get into accidents on a per-mile basis. We'd take a moment to celebrate our lone victory, but with the overwhelming evidence pointing out that we're more dangerous drivers than women, our hypocrisy only travels so far.

[Source: The New York Times | Image: xJasonRogersx CC 2.0]

Answering the Age-Old Question: Who's the safe driver, man or woman? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bad driverbad driversBadDriverBadDriverscar accidentsCarAccidentsfemale driverfemale driversFemaleDriverFemaleDriversmale drivermale driversMaleDriverMaleDriverssafety lawsSafetyLawsvehicle safetyVehicleSafetywoman driverwoman driversWomanDriverWomanDriversMon, 29 Mar 2010 15:27:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19405930/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/03/29/answering-the-age-old-question-whos-the-safe-driver-man-or-wo/19405930/article-detail.xml 19405930 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/woman-driver_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/woman-driver.jpg <![CDATA[Caliber appeals to females despite 'un-cute' ads]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/14/caliber-appeals-to-females-despite-un-cute-ads/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/14/caliber-appeals-to-females-despite-un-cute-ads/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/14/caliber-appeals-to-females-despite-un-cute-ads/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



When Dodge made it a point to distinguish the new Caliber from its older, weathered sibling, the move to the "It's not cute" marketing slogan was in stark contrast to Neon's "Hi" ad campaign.

Whether or not it's working is still in question, but it seems that people harboring the "X" chromosome are more drawn to the small, pseudo-ute than Dodge expected. Of the total car buyers driving the new Caliber off the lot, 43 percent are female, a marked difference compared to the overall ratio of female Dodge owners at about 27 percent.

What this accounts for is anyone's guess, but logic stands to reason that some women have decided to trade in their SUVs for a vehicle that still has an overall aura of ruggedness and utility, whereas others probably just came out of Neon and decided to stick with the brand that they knew.

[Source: Automotive News]

Caliber appeals to females despite 'un-cute' ads originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Aug 2006 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>caliberdodgefemale driversFemaleDriversneonMon, 14 Aug 2006 09:55:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/654140/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/08/14/caliber-appeals-to-females-despite-un-cute-ads/654140/article-detail.xml 654140 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/08/3calibersunset_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/08/3calibersunset.jpg -1 2