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Risk-taking male drivers present a greater threat on the roads

23 February 2007

And one in ten wrongly think women are more dangerous on the road.

Many drivers are not aware that men pose a greater risk on the roads than women, and an astonishing number of drivers are ignorant to the fact that male drivers are responsible for most deaths caused by dangerous driving, reveals a survey by Brake and Green Flag.

Key findings of the survey:

While women are responsible for some fatalities on the road, the majority of death by dangerous driving convictions (94%) are against men.(1)

Home Office figures also show that 97% of drivers convicted of dangerous driving are men. This may be because women are more likely to make low-risk mistakes such as stalling at junctions, but men are more likely to undertake high-risk manouveres. Research shows that male drivers are more likely to commit violations such as speeding and drink-driving and are more likely to thrill-seek while driving.(2)

The fact that they are more dangerous drivers may be one of the reasons that males are far more at risk of dying on the road. In 2005, more than three times as many men died on the road as women: 2,416 men compared to 785 women. Although men travel 30% more miles per year than women,(3) this does not account for the disproportionate number of men dying on the road and being convicted of dangerous driving.

Case study: Ashley Brixey, aged 20

Ashley Brixey was killed while getting a lift home with a friend after a night out. The driver, who was male, was twice over the drink-drive limit and had been using drugs. He lost control and drove into a swimming pool. Ashley drowned.

Ashley's mother Clare says: "Most deaths caused by dangerous driving, like that of my son Ashley, are caused by male drivers. The day Ashley died, my family's lives changed forever. I would urge male and female drivers to consider the potentially devastating consequences of risk-taking on the roads, not just for themselves, but for their passengers, other roads users, and those who could be left behind."

Jools Townsend, head of education at Brake, said: "It is shocking that drivers know so little about the division between male and female drivers. While there are good and bad drivers of both genders, it is a fact that male drivers are much more likely to cause death on the road and are more likely to be killed themselves. All drivers, but men in particular, need to examine their driving and make a conscious effort to take fewer risks on the road. We also need to see Government action including compulsory road safety education in schools, and year-round high-profile advertising aimed at male drivers, to encourage safer driving habits."

Nigel Charlesworth, spokesperson for Green Flag, commented: "It's concerning how many drivers underestimate the risks they face on the roads. We believe it is important for all drivers to realise the importance of driving with care and men in particular need to take the risk element out of their driving."

ENDS

Notes to editors

  1. Motoring Offences and Breath Test Statistics 05/06, Home Office 2006
  2. 'Sex differences in driving and insurance risk, An analysis of the social and psychological differences between men and women that are relevant to their driving behaviour', The Social Issues Research Centre, August 2004
  3. National Travel Survey 2005, Department for Transport, 2006

Brake

Brake is an independent national road safety charity. Brake exists to stop the 9 deaths and 89 serious injuries that happen on UK roads every day and to care for families bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes. Brake produces educational road safety literature, runs community training programmes and runs events including Road Safety Week (5 - 11 November 2007). Brake's Fleet Safety Forum provides up-to-date fleet safety resources to fleet managers. BrakeCare, Brake's support division, cares for road crash victims through a helpline and other services.

Green Flag

Green Flag Motoring Assistance provides roadside rescue and recovery to some 5m customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Green Flag's incident management centre in Leeds manages around 1m breakdown incidents each year.

Media calls

For further information contact Philippa Naylor at Green Flag on 0113 399 1387 (out of hours 07711 964 615) Public-relations@greenflag.com

For interviews with Brake, call 01484 559909 (out of hours 07976 069 159).

Survey results in full

The research was carried out by Brake volunteers across the UK among a broad range of drivers. 1,009 people were questioned. Of these, 419 were female and 580 were male.

Respondents were asked 'Who do you think are the most dangerous drivers? Men or Women?'

Respondents were asked 'What percentage of deaths by dangerous driving do you think are caused by men?'

Calls may be monitored and / or recorded.

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