Men less responsive to safety campaigns

MEN are far less likely than women to respond positively to safety campaigns, according to an upcoming EU-wide report on men’s health.

Women have a more positive approach to safety, to driving and to receiving positive health advice, according to the first ever EU-27 study on men’s health, due to be published this summer. The report highlights that young male drivers are much more likely than young female drivers to overestimate their driving skills.

“Such overconfidence in driving ability has been shown to be associated with young men engaging in more frequent reckless driving and being less likely than young women to consider speeding, drunk driving or distracted driving as dangerous driving behaviours,” said Dr Noel Richardson of the Centre for Men’s Health in IT Carlow, one of the authors of the EU report.

“Effective accident prevention policy measures are those that adopt a co-ordinated and multi-sectoral approach. Young men have a sense of invincibility and tend not to see danger, or rather they see themselves as being above danger.

“Older people are slower to be involved in risky behaviour, and women in general are more careful than men. If you look at convictions for drink driving, 90% are men.”

The accidents section of the EU study will show Ireland has a far better safety record in agriculture and forestry than new entrant states such as Lithuania. Having seen farm fatalities rise to 26 during 2010, the Irish Farmers Association enlisted President Mary McAleese to help drive a new farm safety campaign.

Teagasc statistics from 1993 to 2010 show 23 women or 7.5% (including three young girls) have died on farms — ie, fewer women died over the 17-year period analysed than the fatalities for 2010 alone.

However, Teagasc’s national health and safety specialist John McNamara said: “In Ireland, women tend to do less work with machinery and more animal husbandry tasks.”

Agriculture is not Dr Richardson’s specialist area, but he thinks the IFA campaign has a strong appeal for male farmers.

“Campaigns targeting men need to appeal to their common sense. You mustn’t impose on them with preachy messages. If you push men into a corner, they often go in the opposite direction.

“The Australians produced a very strong online drink driving initiative last year with the ‘Don’t be a Dickhead’ internet campaign, geared towards making men [18-30] realise that drink driving is not cool.”

It was rolled out in March last year. The newly released 2010 road fatality statistics for Victoria simply reaffirm Dr Richardson’s view that men cannot be told. Motorcyclist fatalities rose 39% (up from 38 in 2009 to 49), regional deaths spiked 13% (from 144 up to 163) and overall male fatalities 12%. Over the same period, female deaths decreased 29%.