TWO men are expected to be charged over two fatal crashes in southeast Queensland that happened just hours apart and bare a striking similarity.

In the early hours of Saturday, a 32-year-old woman died after a head-on crash on the M1 at Pimpama, on the Gold Coast.

The driver of the car, a 31-year-old woman, was seriously injured.

This morning, a 61-year-old man died after a head-on crash on the Gateway Motorway at Rochedale, in Brisbane's south.

A 63-year-old woman suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Both crashes involved drivers allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road for several kilometres. And both other drivers escaped serious injury.

Acting Inspector Alicia Coyne said drugs and alcohol were being considered as possible causes for the men's behaviour.

Inspector Coyne said it appeared that both crashes involved driver error.

"There wouldn't have been much (the victims) could do."