Land transport accidents are the second leading cause of death for Australian males aged 15-24, and ranks third for death rates for men aged 25-44 according to the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare.
The photo above was from a road accident I attended as a first-responder in a remote setting. And while the outcome for the driver in this incident was largely positive, for many young Australian male drivers- the opposite is often tragically not.
We live in a large country with many types of typography and climatic conditions. Young male drivers are sadly over-represented in the road accident statistics.
This article looks into the data of road accidents to provide a context on why our rates are so high for young Australian men.
Australian road accident statistics
In Australia, there were 61,500 hospitalisations in 2021-22 for transport injuries.
- Motorcyclists accounting for 24% of these hospitalisations.
- Males accounted for 2 in 3 hospitalisations (68%).
- Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, men were twice as likely as females to be hospitalised for transport injuries.
During 2020-21, 1400 deaths due to transport accidents were recorded with 53% of these occurring in car occupants.
- Males accounted for 3 in 4 deaths (77%) during this period.
- Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, men were 2.1 times as likely to die compared to females.
Young Drivers study
A cohort study into young New South Wales drivers used longitudinal data collected from over 20,000 young novice drivers (45.4% male) to assess measures over a number key areas.
The data collected included, driver training, driving experience, driver behaviour, risk perception, lifestyle habits (including drug and alcohol use), sensation seeking, mental health and sleep habits.
Key statistics from this study were –
- Men accounted for 1.25 times greater rates of a traffic incidents compared to women.
- Men were more likely to have single vehicle crashes, and crashes in the dark.
- Men were more likely to report high risk taking and sensation seeking scores, as well as poor risk perception and rated their driving ability as much better than other drivers.
- Men had higher rates than women for all crash types apart from crashes that resulted in hospital admissions or deaths.
Young Drivers study conclusion
At the conclusion to this study of over 20,000 young drivers, the researchers made the following observation, ‘our findings indicate that men’s higher risk of crash as a young driver persists as men get older and gain more driving experience.’
‘Overall, our findings point to complexity in the sex and/or gendered dimensions of driving and crash, signalling the need for a life-course approach to understanding the factors that shape risk across a person’s life to ensure that interventions can be targeted accordingly.’
Expert Opinion: Scott Peers (former Careflight Emergency Nurse)
Scott Peers worked with Careflight for over 6 years and is employed presently as a senior emergency nurse in a tertiary referral hospital.
“In my experience, young men tended to assume more risk-taking behaviours when on remote outback roads, which often required a Careflight call-out when an accident occurred. Often it wasn’t us just attending to physical trauma or injury. Careflight nurses and doctors provide emotional supportive care to our patients- that includes male patients as well” he said.
“There are significant psychological impacts that affect road trauma survivors. Engaging males in preventative measures can protect against potential PTSD and psychological stress in the future”.
Real Men’s Health Takeaway
Youthsafe are an organisation designed to empower young drivers to be aware of the risks involved with being on the road. They have a number of programs and resources that teens and parents/carers can access.
