A Note: The Changing Gender Demographics of U.S. Drivers

Abstract

Objective: This study examined recent trends in gender differences in the percentage of persons with driver's licenses as a function of age by comparing data from 2010 and 1995.

Method: The analysis used data from the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Results: There are 2 main findings. First, the percentage of males with a driver's license decreased from 1995 to 2010 for those younger than 60; for females a decrease occurred for those younger than 50. Second, in 2010, proportionally more males younger than 45 had a driver's license than was the case for females; the opposite relationship held for persons 45 and older.

Conclusions: The observed gender trends in driver licensing will likely have major implications on the extent and nature of vehicle demand, energy consumption, and road safety.

Keywords:

• Driver licensing
• Male drivers
• Female drivers

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This research was supported by Sustainable Worldwide Transportation (http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt).