ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the discussion of gender in focus group comments and the evident expression and dominance of combustion masculinity. Gender is considered as a social performance in order to emphasise the social and cultural construction of combustion masculinity and the apparent connection between men and cars. Comments from focus groups illustrate the extent to which the identification of driving skill with masculinity has encouraged a particular approach of young males to driving that puts them at greater risk of injury and crashing than the approach of young women. An analysis of a television anti-speeding advertisement is presented in which there were evident gender differences in attitude. Attitude is considered as a construct that is relevant to cultural examination of driving as a practice in that attitudes are generally shared rather than being purely individual and they indicate a level of contention in the discourses relating to driving.
