‘Dying to be men’: young rural men, masculinities, and road crashes in Nandom, Ghana

As motorcycles increasingly serve as a primary mode of transport in Ghana, their association with injuries and crashes (RTCs) has attracted growing scholarly and policy scrutiny. While RTCs predominantly involve men, existing research has largely focused on infrastructural and behavioural factors in urban contexts, with limited attention to the sociocultural masculinities that shape crash risks and outcomes. Using the metaphor ‘dying to be men,’ this study examined how masculine ideals—such as bravery, toughness and the fear of being perceived as not ‘man enough’—shape riding practices and contribute to RTCs in Nandom. Employing a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, the study integrates ethnographic interviews and survey data to explore the gendered production of road risk. Findings indicate that expectations of male bravery, physical endurance, and economic competence foster risky riding practices. Survey results show that 68% of respondents associate (young) male involvement in RTCs with pressures linked to masculine performance. Gendered norms around property ownership further reduce female exposure to motorcycle mobility and associated risks. In addition, the feminisation of caution and the social stigmatisation of safety practices further incentivise risk-taking among young men seeking to maintain masculine status. Overall, the study demonstrates that road safety is shaped not only by individual behaviour and infrastructure but also by deeply embedded gender norms. This underscores the need for gender-sensitive, culturally grounded interventions that address the social and normative drivers of RTCs in patriarchal contexts such as Nandom.