Toxic masculinity fuels dangerous driving like drink and drugs, French campaign says

‘Speed, alcohol, drugs, fatigue … what if we need to add masculinity? advert asks

Toxic masculinity could be just as dangerous as drink or drugs in contributing to road deaths, a new safety campaign in France says.

The French government has launched the initative seeking to combat the fact that men made up 78 per cent of those killed on the country’s roads last year. While that isn’t far from the EU average, the figure rises to 88 per cent of drivers aged 18 to 24 killed on the road last year. Of people suspected to have caused road accidents, 84 per cent were men, while men accounted for 93% of drunk drivers involved in an accident.

An advert, which has gone out online, TV and in cinemas, shows men at the birth of their children, portraying them as sensitive, in contrast to macho stereotypes.