Men overrepresented in stats for risky driving: Abbotsford police

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – When it comes to bad drivers, men in the Fraser Valley city of Abbotsford, B.C., appear to be defying the common stereotypes.

Abbotsford police say despite a roughly equal number of male and female drivers on the city’s roads, male drivers are overrepresented where drinking and driving, distracted driving and speeding tickets are concerned.

Police spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald says about 84 per cent of impaired drivers who are ticketed are men, while only about 16 per cent are women.

He also says about 67 per cent of people who are ticketed for distracted driving are men, while 33 per cent are women, and the numbers for speeding are roughly the same.

Police say impaired driving, distracted driving and speeding are the top three causes of injury and death, and men are clearly outpacing women in violation tickets.

MacDonald says the statistics do not suggest that women are better drivers, but he hopes the numbers will get people thinking about their driving behaviour, or at least spark a debate around the water cooler.