According to the Road Safety Authority, 84 per cent of driver deaths over the period 1996-2003 were male. Men over 65 are over-represented in road deaths by 80 per cent, compared to their share of population.
A Health Services Executive report, examining fatal road crashes in 2003 and published in October 2006, found that:
• alcohol was a factor in 36.5 per cent of fatal crashes
• driver/rider alcohol was a factor in 28 per cent of fatal crashes
• 90 per cent of drivers, whose alcohol intake was a contributory factor, were male
• 43 per cent of all drivers killed had consumed alcohol
• 22.5 per cent of killed drivers who had been drinking alcohol were under the legal limit
• Alcohol-related fatal road crashes were three times more likely to occur on Saturday, Sunday and Monday
The report stated: "As seen in the data a considerable number of the killed drivers with high BACs [blood alcohol content] were aged in their 40s, 50s and even 70s."