Women drivers now outnumber men, survey finds

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Move over men: a new study out this week found that there are more women out on the nation's roads.

Researchers at the University of Michigan found that more women now have their driver's licenses compared to men. That's a reversal of the longtime gender gap behind the wheel.

One mother 22News spoke with said that she notices the change within her son's group of friends.

“Most of his friends, they're not anxious to get their licenses, where I think a couple of the girls are getting their licenses; so maybe it is more so of a girl's want out,” Laurie Bednarczyk of West Springfield said.

Experts say that this is a positive change when it comes to driver safety and the economy, because women are more likely than men to purchase smaller, safer, and more fuel-efficient cars; to drive less, and to have a lower rate of death per distance driven.