By: Adam H. Rosenblum Esq. Published: 11/4/19
It’s a well-established fact that women get fewer speeding tickets than men. According to data from the DMV, in 2018 women received 33.8% of speeding tickets. This proportion has been relatively consistent for the past 10 years. Between 2009 and 2018 an average of 34.1% of all speeding tickets went to women. These percentages are averages, and not every county issues the same proportion of speeding tickets to women.
| Year | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 33.90% | 66.10% |
| 2010 | 34.60% | 65.40% |
| 2011 | 34.40% | 65.60% |
| 2012 | 34.60% | 65.40% |
| 2013 | 34.30% | 65.70% |
| 2014 | 33.80% | 66.20% |
| 2015 | 33.60% | 66.40% |
| 2016 | 34.00% | 66.00% |
| 2017 | 33.80% | 66.20% |
| 2018 | 33.60% | 66.10% |
| 10-Year Average | 34.10% | 65.90% |
No county in New York State wrote more speeding tickets to women than to men. But in some counties women were more likely to get a speeding ticket than others. For example, last year women received 42.5% of speeding tickets in Orleans County. This was just one of several counties were police issued more than or nearly 40% of speeding tickets to female drivers. Conversely, NYPD and other law enforcement agencies in Manhattan gave just 16.4% of speeding tickets to women.
| County | Proportion of Female Drivers In Speed-Related Crashes (2018) |
|---|---|
| SCHUYLER | 45.30% |
| TOMPKINS | 43.20% |
| STEUBEN | 42.00% |
| ST. LAWRENCE | 41.60% |
| MADISON | 41.30% |
| OTSEGO | 40.20% |
| YATES | 40.20% |
| ONTARIO | 40.10% |
| CHENANGO | 39.40% |
| TIOGA | 38.50% |
| County | Proportion of Female Drivers In Speed-Related Crashes (2018) |
|---|---|
| MANHATTAN | 9.50% |
| BROOKLYN | 13.10% |
| BRONX | 16.00% |
| QUEENS | 16.10% |
| STATEN ISLAND | 22.60% |
| WESTCHESTER | 27.20% |
| SUFFOLK | 27.70% |
| ROCKLAND | 28.20% |
| MONTGOMERY | 28.60% |
| NASSAU | 29.00% |
Younger female drivers (ages 16 to 20) received the fewest speeding tickets in New York State in 2018. This is true of every year for which there was data available. However, the proportion of speeding tickets going to young female drivers has been slowly declining over the past 10 years. In 2009, among women, drivers aged 16 to 20 got 15.1% of speeding tickets. By 2018, that figure had fallen to 10.8%. Women between 40 and 49 years have also been receiving fewer speeding tickets over the last 10 years, from 18.5% in 2009 to 16.1% in 2018. All other age groups saw their share of speeding tickets increase. For example, female drivers over the age of 60 are 40% more likely to get tickets, with their share rising from 5.5% to 7.6% of speeding tickets issued to women.
The fact that women get fewer speeding tickets than men in New York does not necessarily mean that women speed less. One study found that it could be part of a self-fulfilling prophesy; i.e. women are told they are better and safer drivers and therefore drive in a safer, more defensive manner.
Crash data appears to indicate that women do, in fact, get into fewer accidents. Female drivers were involved in 35.8% of crashes in New York State in 2018. Women were behind the wheel in only 23% of fatal crashes. When it comes to accidents in which speed is a factor, female drivers were involved in just 33% overall, and only 11% of those that resulted in death.
In Schuyler County last year, 45.3% of speed-related accidents involved a female driver who was over the posted limit, the highest proportion of any NYS county. Manhattan again had the lowest proportion, with just 9.5% of speed-related accidents involving a female driver who was speeding.
None of this proves definitively that women are lighter on the gas pedal, but it does seem to justify why women get better insurance rates. It also shows that not all cops are necessarily lenient with women when it comes to speeding. Thankfully, there are ways drivers—regardless of gender—can avoid a speeding ticket in New York State. And even when a person is ticketed for speeding, one can always hire an experienced traffic ticket attorney to fight the charges and reduce or eliminate the penalties. For more information on traffic ticket and accident trends in New York, check our data analysis pages.