According to Terri D Conley from the University of Michigan, risky behaviour related to sex is judged more harshly than other comparable health risks including car driving, the Atlantic reported.

The study by Conley, associate professor of psychology, found that stigmatisation of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) has resulted in people being disproportionately terrified of having unprotected sex.

The participants stated a 7.1 percent chance of dying from one unprotected sexual encounter compared with a 0.4 percent chance of dying in a car accident on a 300-mile (480-km) road trip.

That is roughly 17 times as high, the study noted.

In three separate studies, the authors examined the extent to which STIs and sexual behaviour were perceived negatively compared to objectively riskier behaviours.

Read the full article "People more fearful of dying from sex than driving" at Times of India.