Girl vs. Boy: Gap Closing on Risky Driving Behaviors

Teen boy drivers have notoriously higher insurance rates, due to their aggressive and risky driving behavior...and the crash rates to prove it. But the gap in risky behavior between teen boys and girls seems to be closing according to a recent report from The Allstate Foundation.

In the study, girls admit to speeding, texting, and acting aggressively behind the wheel more than boys. But the survey statistics haven't translated into crash statistics. But if the trend continues, it could result in higher premiums for girls.

"Experience still shows female drivers are safer than boys at this age," Allstate spokesman Raleigh Floyd said. "Until those figures change, our rating isn't going to change."

But even so, the rates have grown a little. Twenty years ago, it cost an average of 50% more to insure a young male than young female. These days it's about 20% to 30% more. "There is still a gap, but it's getting smaller all the time," said Thomas DeFalco, an actuary at the New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co.

And Sam Belden, vice president at Insurance.com, said data compiled through the online agency show that premiums for 16-year-old girl drivers have risen about $500 over the last two years, while those for boys in the same age group have been roughly flat.

Most chalk it up to distractions. DVD players, MP3 players, friends in the car...and maybe it boils down to plain boredom. Everyone is in such a hurry.

Kristen Marzano, 17, has had her license for about five months and admitted that sometimes she puts on her makeup or fixes her hair in the car or plays with her MP3 player.

"It's mostly I wait until the last minute to do everything," she said. "If I'm going to drive, I'm running out the door, dropping things. I guess it's just being disorganized."


Check out the statistics from the study below...parents and teens alike, are you one of the numbers?


Click to enlarge


Thank you to Chicago Tribune

Teens Take on the Distracted Driving Course

To help teens understand the dangers of distracted driving, Allstate Insurance brought a group of young drivers (many newly licensed), to a distracted driving course.

Watch the video here on the LasVegasNow.com website to see the distracted teen drivers in action.

Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens. In Las Vegas, more teens have already died behind the wheel this year than all of last year.

Study: Metropolitan Cities With Highest Teen Crash Rates

A study by Allstate Insurance Company in May 08 found the following cities to have the highest crash rates for teens:

• Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla.
  
• Orlando/Kissimmee, Fla.
  
• Jacksonville, Fla.
  
• Nashville, Tenn.
  
• Birmingham, Ala.
  
• Phoenix, Ariz.
  
• Kansas City, Mo. (and Kan.)
  
• Atlanta, Ga.
  
• Charlotte, N.C.
  
• Louisville, Ky.

The study also found the cities with the lowest teen driver fatality rates were:

• San Francisco/Oakland, Calif.
  
• San Jose, Calif.
  
• New York City (including Long Island and northern New Jersey)
  
• Los Angeles, Calif.
  
• Cleveland, Ohio
  
• Milwaukee, Wisc.
  
• Boston, Mass.
  
• Portland, Ore.
  
• Salt Lake City, Utah
  
• Chicago, Ill.

George Ruebenson, president of Allstate Protection adds:

"The study shouldn't just concern parents and leaders in the nation’s deadliest hotspots – car crashes claim the lives of more American teens than anything else coast-to-coast. Although some cities post better scores than others, the whole country must take responsibility for addressing this crisis. We feel that state and federal leaders should enact uniform national standards for graduated drivers licensing laws. Further, we must have better conversations with teens about safe driving and set good examples through our own good driving behavior."

Their findings kicked off a campaign to unify Graduated Licensing Laws which currently differ state to state. You can read the full article by clicking here.