Men are killing themselves on the roads in large numbers. Currently, policymakers fail to recognise the different ways men and women use roads, and the resulting ways they are killed or injured.
The road toll is largely a male problem. In Australia in the 12 months to the end of October 2024, 1,295 people were killed on our roads, of whom 989 were male. Between January and September 2024, males were 81% of the drivers killed on the roads, but only 50% of the car passengers. Men were 96% of the motorcyclists and 90% of the cyclists killed on the roads.
Of the women who died in cars, only 52% were the driver (compared with 81% for men). The statistics for serious injuries on the roads are similar.
Even considering that men tend to drive more often and longer distances (and most cyclists and motorcyclists are men), these figures are startling.
The road fatality statistics do not show who was at fault in each case, but we should interpret them in conjunction with other research that shows men are more likely to speed, to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and to not wear seatbelts. All these factors significantly contribute to deaths and injuries on the roads.
Advertising companies have long understood the link between traditional masculinity, powerful cars and dangerous driving.
The love of large, fast cars is associated with our perceptions of masculinity. A lot of movies and car advertising encourage antisocial masculine behaviours, such as driving fast in powerful cars.
The traditional male dominance of the trucking industry and the masculine associations of large utes and four-wheel drives fuels this connection between masculinity, driving and speed (and sometimes drink driving).
State-supported car racing only entrenches these associations and encourages speeding.
In Australia, government policy fails to question this love of large, fast cars.
Source: Many more men are dying on Australian roads than women. It’s time we addressed it