Submitted. Throughout 2013 the Abbotsford Police Department has attempted to educate people about Road Safety in a variety of ways. We have used impactful video footage of a pedestrian being struck by a distracted driver. We have released hard hitting posters showing the results of collisions; and we have offered humourous excuses provided by drivers as a means to engage the public on this very important topic. Today we are offering a new angle that is derived from our violation ticket statistics which show a marked difference between the genders.
In the Province of British Columbia 51.47 % of drivers are male and 48.45 % are female. In the City of Abbotsford there is even greater parity with 50.51 % of the drivers being male and
49.44 % being female (ICBC statistics as of September 30, 2013).
However, when we look at APD violation statistics, we do not see parity. We see instead an overrepresentation of male drivers. For instance, with Distracted Driving, 67.26 % of the ticketed offenders are male, compared to 32.74 % female. With Impaired Driving, 84.36 % of impaired drivers are men, compared to just 15.64 % women. Of drivers who Speed, 66.32 % are men and 33.68 % are women. Impaired Driving, Distracted Driving and Speeding are the top 3 causes of injury and death on our roads, and clearly our data shows that men are engaging in these behaviours more than women. What is also compelling is that these statistics remain disproportionate through various age brackets. Men in their 30’s and men in their 70’s outpace their female counterparts. Overall, men have received 70.77 % of the violation tickets issued to drivers by the APD, compared to 29.23 % received by women (data 2010 to present).
We offer these statistics not to suggest that women are better drivers, although we do anticipate some healthy debate concerning this and other Road Safety issues. Instead, we hope these statistics challenge all drivers to review and reflect on their driving behaviours. The truth is that we all can do better. So perhaps this will become part of a seasonal resolution; or maybe just a topic for water cooler banter. Either way it is information we needed to share. Road Safety is an important topic and we want the public to be part of the discussion.
Editor’s note: for statistics and graphs explaining the exact numbers please click here.