Wiesbaden – November 02, 2026 -- Men accounted for 58.2% of all people injured or killed on German roads in 2025, and for 73.6% of those who died, according to Germany's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

That works out to 217,000 men against 156,100 women (41.8%). The more serious the injury, the larger the male share: 57.1% of the slightly injured, 64.0% of the seriously injured and 73.6% of the fatalities. Destatis released the figures ahead of International Men's Day on November 3.

Men face a one-third higher risk per capita

Per 100,000 inhabitants, 526 boys and men were injured or killed in traffic last year, versus 369 girls and women. For deaths, the gap is wider: about 5 males per 100,000 died, more than double the rate for females (2). Destatis notes that men travel more overall and more often use vehicles with graver crash consequences, such as motorcycles.

Young men aged 15 to 20 die at five times the female rate

In this age group, 28,631 men were injured or killed in 2025, which is 70.5% more than women of the same age (16,789). A total of 161 young men died in crashes, compared with 32 young women.

One in ten injured men was on a motorcycle or scooter

Among injured men, 10.8% were on a motorcycle or scooter; for women the share was 3.0%. Cycling accounted for 28.3% of male casualties and 23.0% of female ones. Cars remained the most common vehicle for both men (40.6%) and women (55.2%). Of men injured in cars, 79.5% were driving, compared with 66.2% of women. Pedestrians made up 6.4% of male and 8.9% of female casualties.

Men are more often the main cause of crashes

Police judged 56.1% of men involved in crashes with personal injury to be the main cause, against 50.4% of women. Car drivers showed 58.9% for men and 53.8% for women. Cyclists came in at 52.8% for men and 48.4% for women, and e-scooter riders at 65.3% and 61.4%. Motorcycles reverse the pattern: women are involved less often, but 61.9% of those involved were the main cause, versus 57.4% of men.

Speeding and impairment weigh more heavily for men

Errors when turning, reversing, U-turning or pulling out were the top cause for both sexes: 14.4% of male and 17.6% of female driver errors. For men, insufficient distance ranked second (13.2%), followed by inappropriate speed (12.9%). For women, failing to yield was second (16.4%), then insufficient distance (12.9%). Inappropriate speed accounted for 9.6% of women's errors. Alcohol or drug influence was recorded for 6.8% of men's errors versus 2.4% for women.

Police often record several errors per crash, so a single cause cannot always be named.