Road crash deaths follow a consistent sex pattern across countries. WHO estimates men account for about 75% of road traffic deaths globally, compared with about 25% for women. In Great Britain in 2019, 2,130 male road deaths occurred versus 1,002 female deaths, including large differences by where people are killed and which age groups are most affected.
Key Takeaways
- In Great Britain, 2019: 2,130 male road deaths and 1,002 female road deaths
- In Great Britain, 2019: 22,734 male serious injuries and 13,062 female serious injuries
- In Great Britain, 2019: 23,993 male slight injuries and 16,092 female slight injuries
- In Great Britain, 2019: 1,098 males killed on roads in built-up areas and 442 females
- In Great Britain, 2019: 1,032 males killed on roads outside built-up areas and 560 females
- In the UK, 2019: males accounted for 62% of all drivers killed in reported accidents
- In Denmark, 2018: men accounted for 70% of alcohol-related traffic deaths
- In Denmark, 2018: women accounted for 30% of alcohol-related traffic deaths
- In Sweden, 2020: men accounted for 64% of road fatalities involving alcohol
- In the EU, 2019: 31% of road deaths occurred among people aged 15-24
- In the EU, 2019: within the 15-24 group, males accounted for 70% of road deaths (sex distribution for youth)
- WHO estimates males account for 75% of road traffic deaths globally (sex distribution)
- In the U.S., 2019: estimated total societal cost of motor vehicle crashes was $340 billion
- The U.S. cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $190 billion for property damage only
- In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $57 billion for medical costs
Across countries and years, men account for roughly three quarters of road fatalities, with higher risky driving.
Related reading
01 · Category
Fatality Outcomes10 stats
01
In Great Britain, 2019: 2,130 male road deaths and 1,002 female road deaths
02
In Great Britain, 2019: 22,734 male serious injuries and 13,062 female serious injuries
03
In Great Britain, 2019: 23,993 male slight injuries and 16,092 female slight injuries
04
In Sweden, 2020: males accounted for 58% of road fatalities
05
In Sweden, 2020: females accounted for 42% of road fatalities
06
In Australia, 2020: males accounted for 76% of fatalities from road crashes
07
In Australia, 2020: females accounted for 24% of fatalities from road crashes
08
In Canada, 2021: males accounted for 64% of road crash fatalities
09
In Canada, 2021: females accounted for 36% of road crash fatalities
10
Males were 1.7 times as likely as females to be killed in road crashes in Australia (2020, ratio based on sex shares)
Interpretation
Fatality Outcomes Interpretation
Across countries and injury types, men are consistently more affected, with Australia (2020) showing 76% of road crash fatalities compared with 24% for women, and in Great Britain (2019) the gap is also clear in deaths at 2,130 male versus 1,002 female.
02 · Category
Behavioral Factors11 stats
01
In Great Britain, 2019: 1,098 males killed on roads in built-up areas and 442 females
02
In Great Britain, 2019: 1,032 males killed on roads outside built-up areas and 560 females
03
In the UK, 2019: males accounted for 62% of all drivers killed in reported accidents
04
In the UK, 2019: females accounted for 38% of all drivers killed in reported accidents
05
Men accounted for 61% of people killed in road accidents in the UK in 2019 (all road users)
06
Women accounted for 39% of people killed in road accidents in the UK in 2019 (all road users)
07
In Great Britain, 2019: 33% of drivers killed were aged 15-29
08
In Great Britain, 2019: 44% of drivers killed aged 15-29 were male
09
A meta-analysis found males have higher odds of risky driving behaviors than females (OR range ~1.3–2.0 across behaviors)
10
In the U.S., 2019: 47% of men reported they had driven under the influence at least once; 30% of women reported the same (survey)
11
In the U.S., 2019: 14% of men reported they had driven after drinking; 7% of women reported driving after drinking (survey)
Interpretation
Behavioral Factors Interpretation
In Great Britain in 2019, men made up the vast majority of road deaths and were notably more common among younger victims, with 1,098 male road deaths versus 442 female deaths in built-up areas and 44% of the 15 to 29 driver deaths being male.
03 · Category
Incidence & Exposure14 stats
01
In Denmark, 2018: men accounted for 70% of alcohol-related traffic deaths
02
In Denmark, 2018: women accounted for 30% of alcohol-related traffic deaths
03
In Sweden, 2020: men accounted for 64% of road fatalities involving alcohol
04
In Sweden, 2020: women accounted for 36% of road fatalities involving alcohol
05
In Great Britain, 2019: male casualties (all severities) were 212,000 and female casualties were 146,000
06
In Great Britain, 2019: male fatal casualties were 1,130 and female fatal casualties were 442
07
In Great Britain, 2019: males accounted for 60% of casualties in the 15-24 age band
08
In Great Britain, 2019: females accounted for 40% of casualties in the 15-24 age band
09
In the EU (2019), 61% of drivers killed were male and 39% were female
10
In the EU (2019), males were the majority in road fatalities across age groups, with peak male share at younger ages (2019, distribution by sex)
11
In Australia, 2020: males accounted for 70% of hospitalizations for road crash injury
12
In Australia, 2020: females accounted for 30% of hospitalizations for road crash injury
13
In Great Britain, 2019: male drivers accounted for 67% of those killed or seriously injured
14
In Great Britain, 2019: female drivers accounted for 33% of those killed or seriously injured
Interpretation
Incidence & Exposure Interpretation
Across multiple countries and years, men consistently account for the majority of alcohol related and crash casualties, for example rising from 61% of drivers killed in the EU (2019) to 70% in Denmark (2018) and Australia (2020).
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
In the EU, 2019: 31% of road deaths occurred among people aged 15-24
02
In the EU, 2019: within the 15-24 group, males accounted for 70% of road deaths (sex distribution for youth)
03
WHO estimates males account for 75% of road traffic deaths globally (sex distribution)
04
WHO estimates females account for 25% of road traffic deaths globally (sex distribution)
05
In Europe, 2019: male share of road deaths is consistently higher than female share across countries (Eurostat report)
06
In WHO road safety data, males account for about 3/4 of road traffic deaths globally (reported sex split)
07
Road traffic injury is a leading cause of death for people aged 5-29 globally (WHO estimate)
08
Globally, road traffic deaths are estimated to be the 8th leading cause of death (WHO fact sheet)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across both Europe and the globe, men account for roughly three quarters of road traffic deaths, and even among youth aged 15 to 24 in the EU they make up about 70% of deaths, underscoring that road safety efforts need to target a strongly male skew.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis21 stats
01
In the U.S., 2019: estimated total societal cost of motor vehicle crashes was $340 billion
02
The U.S. cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $190 billion for property damage only
03
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $57 billion for medical costs
04
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $3.0 billion in emergency services
05
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $75 billion in lost productivity
06
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $17 billion in workplace costs
07
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $9 billion in administrative costs
08
In the U.S., average medical cost per crash victim was estimated at $8,100(FARS-based cost model, year reported in NHTSA economic analysis)
09
In the U.S., average property damage per crash was estimated at $4,200(NHTSA economic analysis)
10
In the U.S., the cost per fatality is estimated at $9.5 million (value of a statistical life, used in economic analysis)
11
In the U.S., the cost per serious injury is estimated at $240,000(used in economic analysis)
12
In the U.S., the cost per minor injury is estimated at $17,000(used in economic analysis)
13
A peer-reviewed study estimates road crash costs account for about 1–3% of GDP across many countries (global economic burden range)
14
WHO estimates the economic cost of road traffic injuries is about 3% of GDP globally (global burden)
15
In OECD countries, road crashes cost an estimated 2% of GDP (OECD report estimate)
16
Insurance premium pricing frameworks in the EU prohibit using gender as a pricing factor for motor insurance (Gender Equality in insurance rule, Directive 2004/113/EC implemented)
17
In the U.S., sex is not used as a rating factor in auto insurance in many states (regulatory constraints; varies by state)
18
In California, auto insurance is regulated such that gender cannot be used as a rating factor (Bill/Proposition framework; Prop 103 and related rules)
19
In the EU, the Unisex rule is adopted under Article 5 of Directive 2004/113/EC (insurance premiums and benefits)
20
In the U.S., the median cost of crash injuries (medical payments) varies by injury severity; NHTSA cost model uses $9.5 million per fatality and $240,000 per serious injury
21
The WHO fact sheet reports road traffic injuries cause about 3% of global GDP losses
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Across the U.S., motor vehicle crashes cost about $340 billion in 2019, with medical costs at $57 billion and lost productivity at $75 billion, while globally the burden is still around 3% of GDP, showing that the financial toll is both large and remarkably consistent across scales.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Car Crash Gender Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/car-crash-gender-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "Car Crash Gender Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/car-crash-gender-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Car Crash Gender Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/car-crash-gender-statistics.
Sources & references
17 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+2 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)