Troubling Increase in Drunk Driving Among Females

Even as the number of people being killed in drunk driving accidents across the country decreases, there is a troubling increase in another trend-the number of women being arrested for drunk driving. Recently, a conference in Washington DC focused on the reasons for this increase in drunk driving among females.

The Transportation Research Board’s annual conference saw a number of statistics being presented about the increasing number of DUI arrests involving women. However, the data seems to be meager, and there isn’t enough information about this phenomenon to actually make any recommendations.

According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the number of DUI arrests involving women has climbed steadily over the years. They increased 30% between 1998 and 2007. Further, the difference in proportion between male and female arrests has also been narrowing. Males continue to account for a majority of all DUI arrests every year, but females are fast bridging that gap.

According to some analysts, there has been an increase in binge drinking among women across the country, and this could partially explain the spike in drunk driving arrests. Persons who binge drink, or drink 5 or more drinks in a single session, are much more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol, and be arrested.

Car accident lawyers also believe that many women are now showing signs of risky behaviors like drunk driving, which were earlier restricted, for the most part, to men. Women generally tend to avoid risks, but according to the researchers, there are women who find it difficult to control actions. These women tend to have more risk-taking tendencies, memory problems, and difficulty learning from past experiences. These women may be more impulsive, and consequently, they’re also more susceptible to rash decisions like driving while intoxicated.