ABSTRACT
Gender differences are well known in accidentology and manifest themselves very early on in different types of accidents. Boys and men have more frequent and serious accidents than girls and women, and risk exposure does not appear to be the only explanatory variable. This phenomenon can notably be explained by greater risk-taking among boys and men. Numerous psychologists ascribe the male-female difference in risk-taking to gender roles and gender stereotypes. It was not until recently that the effects of sex-stereotype conformity were taken into account in explaining differences between males and females in risky behaviors as driver or pedestrian. In this paper, are exposed our previous studies on gender conformity 755effect on pedestrian, cyclist and driver behaviors, in a developmental perspective, from childhood to adulthood. Gender stereotype conformity is a better predictor of declared injury-risk behaviors than sex as early as in childhood and that, among adolescents, sensation seeking could be consider as mediator between masculinity, femininity and risk-taking as pedestrian. Furthermore, gender stereotype conformity explains behavioral compliance of children and adults with pedestrian rules, and that rule internalization and perception of intentionality are mediator factors to explain gender influence on injury-risk behavior, as pedestrian, cyclist and driver, from childhood to adulthood. From these results, means to act in education and prevention actions are discussed to minimize gender differences in injury-risk behaviors and in accidentology.
