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 deathshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
02
In Great Britain, 2019: 22,734 male serious injuries and 13,062 female serious injurieshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
03
In Great Britain, 2019: 23,993 male slight injuries and 16,092 female slight injurieshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
04
In Sweden, 2020: males accounted for 58% of road fatalitieshttps://www.transportstyrelsen.se/en/road/road-safety/road-accident-statistics/
05
In Sweden, 2020: females accounted for 42% of road fatalitieshttps://www.transportstyrelsen.se/en/road/road-safety/road-accident-statistics/
06
In Australia, 2020: males accounted for 76% of fatalities from road crasheshttps://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/road-traffic-accidents
07
In Australia, 2020: females accounted for 24% of fatalities from road crasheshttps://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/road-traffic-accidents
08
In Canada, 2021: males accounted for 64% of road crash fatalitieshttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=4510009301
09
In Canada, 2021: females accounted for 36% of road crash fatalitieshttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=4510009301
10
Males were 1.7 times as likely as females to be killed in road crashes in Australia (2020, ratio based on sex shares)https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/road-traffic-accidents
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 femaleshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
02
In Great Britain, 2019: 1,032 males killed on roads outside built-up areas and 560 femaleshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
03
In the UK, 2019: males accounted for 62% of all drivers killed in reported accidentshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
04
In the UK, 2019: females accounted for 38% of all drivers killed in reported accidentshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
05
Men accounted for 61% of people killed in road accidents in the UK in 2019 (all road users)https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
06
Women accounted for 39% of people killed in road accidents in the UK in 2019 (all road users)https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
07
In Great Britain, 2019: 33% of drivers killed were aged 15-29https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
08
In Great Britain, 2019: 44% of drivers killed aged 15-29 were malehttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
09
A meta-analysis found males have higher odds of risky driving behaviors than females (OR range ~1.3–2.0 across behaviors)https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-52377-001
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)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt2996/Behavioral%20Health%20Trends%20in%20the%20U.S.%202019.pdf
11
In the U.S., 2019: 14% of men reported they had driven after drinking; 7% of women reported driving after drinking (survey)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt2996/Behavioral%20Health%20Trends%20in%20the%20U.S.%202019.pdf
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 deathshttps://www.statbank.dk/10080
02
In Denmark, 2018: women accounted for 30% of alcohol-related traffic deathshttps://www.statbank.dk/10080
03
In Sweden, 2020: men accounted for 64% of road fatalities involving alcoholhttps://www.transportstyrelsen.se/en/road/road-safety/road-accident-statistics/
04
In Sweden, 2020: women accounted for 36% of road fatalities involving alcoholhttps://www.transportstyrelsen.se/en/road/road-safety/road-accident-statistics/
05
In Great Britain, 2019: male casualties (all severities) were 212,000 and female casualties were 146,000https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
06
In Great Britain, 2019: male fatal casualties were 1,130 and female fatal casualties were 442https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
07
In Great Britain, 2019: males accounted for 60% of casualties in the 15-24 age bandhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
08
In Great Britain, 2019: females accounted for 40% of casualties in the 15-24 age bandhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
09
In the EU (2019), 61% of drivers killed were male and 39% were femalehttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Road_safety_statistics
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)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Road_safety_statistics
11
In Australia, 2020: males accounted for 70% of hospitalizations for road crash injuryhttps://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/trauma-in-australia/contents/road-traffic-injuries
12
In Australia, 2020: females accounted for 30% of hospitalizations for road crash injuryhttps://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/trauma-in-australia/contents/road-traffic-injuries
13
In Great Britain, 2019: male drivers accounted for 67% of those killed or seriously injuredhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
14
In Great Britain, 2019: female drivers accounted for 33% of those killed or seriously injuredhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
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 15-24https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Road_safety_statistics
02
In the EU, 2019: within the 15-24 group, males accounted for 70% of road deaths (sex distribution for youth)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Road_safety_statistics
03
WHO estimates males account for 75% of road traffic deaths globally (sex distribution)https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/road-safety
04
WHO estimates females account for 25% of road traffic deaths globally (sex distribution)https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/road-safety
05
In Europe, 2019: male share of road deaths is consistently higher than female share across countries (Eurostat report)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Road_safety_statistics
06
In WHO road safety data, males account for about 3/4 of road traffic deaths globally (reported sex split)https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/road-safety
07
Road traffic injury is a leading cause of death for people aged 5-29 globally (WHO estimate)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
08
Globally, road traffic deaths are estimated to be the 8th leading cause of death (WHO fact sheet)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
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 billionhttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
02
The U.S. cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $190 billion for property damage onlyhttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
03
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $57 billion for medical costshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
04
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $3.0 billion in emergency serviceshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
05
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $75 billion in lost productivityhttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
06
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $17 billion in workplace costshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
07
In the U.S., the cost of motor vehicle crashes includes $9 billion in administrative costshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
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)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
09
In the U.S., average property damage per crash was estimated at $4,200(NHTSA economic analysis)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
10
In the U.S., the cost per fatality is estimated at $9.5 million (value of a statistical life, used in economic analysis)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
11
In the U.S., the cost per serious injury is estimated at $240,000(used in economic analysis)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
12
In the U.S., the cost per minor injury is estimated at $17,000(used in economic analysis)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
13
A peer-reviewed study estimates road crash costs account for about 1–3% of GDP across many countries (global economic burden range)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214109X20300315
14
WHO estimates the economic cost of road traffic injuries is about 3% of GDP globally (global burden)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
15
In OECD countries, road crashes cost an estimated 2% of GDP (OECD report estimate)https://www.oecd.org/transport/road-safety-road-crash-costs.htm
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)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2004/113/oj
17
In the U.S., sex is not used as a rating factor in auto insurance in many states (regulatory constraints; varies by state)https://www.naic.org/documents/index_aacirmar_qa.htm
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)https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/101-faq/auto-insurance-gender.cfm
19
In the EU, the Unisex rule is adopted under Article 5 of Directive 2004/113/EC (insurance premiums and benefits)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2004/113/oj
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 injuryhttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812938
21
The WHO fact sheet reports road traffic injuries cause about 3% of global GDP losseshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
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
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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
+2 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)