At a road safety symposium hosted by the South African Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Science of South Africa (CSIR) they presented RTMC research showing that 75% of people who die on South African roads are male, largely because of risky behaviour.
This research supports findings from a 2024 Volvo Car South Africa survey, which found 38% of men admitted to regular speeding compared to 22% of women. Additionally, 28% of men say they use their phones while driving, against 21% of women. This seems to answer the age-old question: are men or women safer drivers?
The CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says rather than using this to feed a debate that serves no purpose in improving road safety, it should be used to draw information that furthers this cause. “Most often, we tell women how to stay safe on the road, given that they face greater personal risk, but we do not stop to notice where women are setting the benchmark.
“Women often possess the habits that keep crash statistics down: patience, restraint, and consistency. The habits that women already practise every day should be used to encourage and motivate all drivers to do the same to keep themselves, their colleagues and their families safe on the road.”
This Women’s Month we should ensure that the discipline that women often show while driving, should be given more weight than it currently does. “These are the exact behaviours that road safety initiatives, training and awareness campaigns spend years trying to instil in drivers.
“When we talk about empowering women on the roads, part of that should be recognising the standard they have already set. Experts should ask why the data that shows these driving habits so favourably is not shaping decisions more broadly.”
The data collected year-on-year in multiple studies is not informing road safety, despite mounting evidence that the caution and consistency shown by female drivers translates directly into safer outcomes when applied at scale. “Where women are in fleet management and driver training roles, we are seeing that same discipline result in lower incident rates and stronger safety cultures.
“Industry data published by the Heavy Duty Journal reveals that fleets managed by women experience up to 35% fewer safety incidents, largely driven by their emphasis on structured, proactive driver training programs.”
In an industry still working to minimise road death tolls, that pattern is hard to ignore. “Increasing the role of women in road safety leadership is a practical safety strategy. Giving more women a seat at the table, both on the road and in the boardroom, is one of the best evidence-based moves the industry can make.
“While the data in these studies should be used more constructively, it also does not mean that male leadership does not or cannot see the same success. Any fleet manager building a culture of proactive training and consistent standards can produce the same results. There is enough evidence to stop treating this as anecdotal and build it into the design of every safety programme, female or male led.”
This Women’s Month, Herbert’s message is simple: treat women’s safety record on the road as an asset.
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