Trends show increase in alcohol-related crash fatalities for young women

Although young men have tended to be associated with alcohol-related crashes, young women are beginning to show an alarming increase in fatal automobile crashes related to alcohol use and a failure to use seatbelts, according to a study led by Dr. Virginia Tsai and emergency medicine physicians with the Center for Trauma & Injury Prevention Research at UC Irvine. Results showed that over a 10-year period (1995-2004) women began to “catch up” to men in risky behaviors related to alcohol use and driving. In addition, they found while seatbelt use increased for both young men and women, the increase for women was smaller.