An Investigation on Gender Differences in Driving Offenses

The rate of driving offense is extremely high in Iran. Because of its harmful consequences, the driving offense is, at present, one of the most important social problems in Iran. With respect to the increase of women drivers, this research has tried to investigate the relationship between gender and driving offense. It is generally assumed that women commit less deviant and criminal behaviors, compared to men; and hence, women commit less driving offenses. The present research, the method of which is a cross-sectional survey, was conducted in Yasouj. The statistical population consists of all drivers aged 18-65 who had private car and driving license. Totally, 389 subjects were selected by means of random multi-stage sampling. The measurement instrument was a questionnaire including three dimensions: inability in technical control of car, lack of awakening during driving, and disregarding traffic regulations. The validity of the questionnaire was measured by content validity and the reliability was determined through retest which showed the Pearson coefficient as 0.618. The descriptive findings of the research demonstrate that the rate of driving offense is high among the drivers. The research analytical findings show that there is no significant difference between men and women in driving offenses. The research findings have been compared with related studies, and finally some explanations have been offered for the current research finding.