LEX18.com - Lexington, KY

Posted: Apr 6, 2010 4:18 PM

In what may seem like a reversal in roles, teen girls are displaying increased aggression behind the wheel more than their male counterparts. 

According to The Allstate Foundation’s latest study, “Shifting Teen Attitudes: The State of Teen Driving 2009,” risky behavior while driving including speeding, aggression and texting is trending upward for teen girls across the nation but appears to be softening for teen boys.

“These results are consistent with a growing trend among adolescents, said Dr. Allan Williams, former Chief Scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “As more young women participate in activities like competitive sports and take on a more assertive lifestyle, they are narrowing the gender gap when it comes to risk taking in all aspects of their life.”

Key findings from the study include:

• 27% of girls admit to speeding 10+ miles over the speed limit versus 19% of boys
• One in four girls say that they frequently read/write texts/emails while driving compared to 15% of boys
• 16% of teen girls report that they are very aggressive while driving in 2009 while only 9% reported that this was the case in 2005 
• 13% of teen boys report that they are very aggressive while driving in 2009 compared to 20% in 2005

Distracted behaviors aren’t the only risks that teens are engaging in behind the wheel. Nearly one of four teens (23 percent) admit to drinking while driving and 20 percent of teens say they’ve ridden in a car when the driver had been drinking.  Car crashes remain the number one killer of American teens. Most car crashes involving teens are preventable – caused by speeding, driver error and distractions.

For more information on teen safe driving visit www.allstate.com/teendriver