Men way out in front in road statistics

By SCOTT MACLEOD

More than twice as many men as women died on New Zealand roads in the first third of this year.

April's road toll of 42 brought the number of people dead from vehicle smashes since January 1 to 162 - three more than at the same time last year.

A breakdown of the figures shows that 110 men have died compared with 52 women, continuing a trend that has emerged since 1985. Since then, 60 per cent of road deaths have been male.

Much of the problem stems from alcohol, speed, youth and not wearing seatbelts.

The Land Transport Safety Authority figures show 90 per cent of people who die when drunk are male, 80 per cent of deaths in the 18 to 24 age span are male, 80 per cent of speeding drivers in bad smashes are male, and 15 per cent of men do not wear seatbelts in front seats compared with 9 per cent of women.

LTSA spokesman Craig Dowling said those statistics suggest a classic mix of testosterone and aggression.

"There have been some gains with alcohol and young male drivers but there is still a long way to go."

The death rate so far puts New Zealand on track for a similar road toll to last year's 465, the lowest since 1964. But the number of fatal crashes this year is higher - 141 compared with 129 at the same time in 2000.

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