NHTSA recently released some important research about accidents caused by drivers who mistake the gas for the brake pedal. Some “journalist” were fixated on the finding that two out of three crashes involved women. But, what is more interesting is men were three times more likely to be killed in this type of crash. Way to go men!
Women more likely to mistake gas pedal for brakes
By Jerry Hirsch
11:36 AM PDT, April 13, 2012
Women are more likely than men to mistake the gas pedal for the brakes, according to federal safety regulators.
But before all those male drivers out there smugly stereotype women as bad drivers, men are more likely to be involved in an accident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
“The most consistent finding across data sources was the striking overrepresentation of females in pedal misapplication crashes, relative to their involvement in all types of crashes,” the agency said in a report supporting its proposal this week to require automakers to make brake-throttle override systems standard in all vehicles.
The override systems help drivers regain control when a vehicle accelerates suddenly. Analysts say the override will help stop many instances of sudden acceleration but aren’t likely to prevent people from careening out of control when they step on the wrong pedal.