36-year-old woman had an accident
It is one of the mechanisms of urban legends: to titillate fears and use a cliché as proof of truth.
"A 45-year-old senior executive" would have been much less effective because he is the embodiment of seriousness, mastery and success: the opposite of the young woman at the wheel.
Other variants: "an Arab in the metro", "a gay man in a cinema" etc.
