Road deaths and injuries – male and female - Road Safety

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Historically, more men have always died in road crashes: not only as drivers but as pedestrians, passengers, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Men also have a higher casualty rate per head of population than women. In particular younger men aged from 15-24 and older men aged 80 and above have the highest casualty rates.

Even though statistics indicate that women are now involved in as many crashes as men, they are usually minor crashes and cause only minor injuries. Men still account for more deaths and serious injuries.

Alcohol appears to be one reason for this.

What are the figures for South Australia?
Figure 1 – Average number of fatalities and serious injuries per year by road user, 2001-2003

Findings

Men have higher road death and injuries in every category where the road user is most likely to be in control of their own situation eg drivers, motorcyclists and to a lesser extent cyclists and pedestrians
This could be a reflection of greater risk-taking behaviour. High-risk behaviours such as drink driving and speeding play a major role in serious crashes.

Male and female deaths in South Australia
Table 1 – South Australian average number of fatalities per year 1999- 2003:

Findings

As drivers, men are three times more likely to die than women.
As pedestrians, men are twice as likely to die as women.
As motorcyclists and cyclists, men are twelve times more likely to die but this is partly due to more men riding than women.

Are there differences at different ages?
In South Australia:

Young men from 15-24 years have 2.8 deaths per 10,000 persons compared to the males of all ages at a rate of 1.5
Elderly men aged 80 and over have 3.8 deaths per 10,000 persons
Young women from 15–19 years have the highest rate for females which is 1.1 deaths per 10,000 persons.

Alcohol

Approximately 21 male drivers or riders who die in a crash each year have a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.
Approximately 3 female drivers or riders who die in a crash each year have a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

Males and females in fatal, serious and minor injuries

Figure 2 – Number of casualties (fatal, serious and minor) per year, 1981-2003

Findings

There was a major decline in the number of male casualties until 1998 when it increased again.
The number of female casualties per year has increased to the same level as male casualties.
When the extent of the injuries are considered, it becomes clear this is only because of increased female involvement in minor injuries. Males still predominate in serious casualties.

Links
Road Trauma: A Comparison of Males vs Females