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The Corona effect has worn off: there are more accidents, more injuries, more deaths on German roads. How can we counteract this?
Wiesbaden – The number of road deaths rose even more in 2023 than initially expected. According to final figures from the Federal Statistical Office, 2,839 people died in road traffic accidents last year. In the preliminary figures, statisticians had assumed 2,830 deaths.
According to current figures, there were 51 more deaths in 2023 than in 2022 – and not 42, as stated in the preliminary figures from February. “An average of eight people were killed on German roads every day in 2023,” reported the statisticians in Wiesbaden.
The final analysis of the accident figures contains numerous details:
Accident figures
The police counted a total of 2.5 million traffic accidents in 2023. That was 4.7 percent more than in 2022. 2.2 million accidents resulted in property damage. The number of accidents involving bodywork damage rose by more than five percent, while the number of accidents involving personal injury increased by less than one percent.
Injured
366,557 people were injured on roads in 2023: an increase of 1.5 percent. 313,655 people were slightly injured, 52,902 seriously. Compared to 2022, the number of seriously injured people fell by 8.4 percent. On average, 145 people were seriously injured and 859 slightly injured per day in 2023.
alcohol
Alcohol was involved in 37,172 accidents last year. Although that was 4.1 percent less than in 2022, the number was higher than the level for the years 2014 to 2021.
Accident locations
Where is traffic most dangerous? 58 percent of those killed were on country roads, almost 32 percent in urban areas, and almost 11 percent on motorways.
Means of transport
1,192 people died in a car in 2023. 550 people were killed in accidents on a motorcycle. 446 were on bicycles (190 of them had a pedelec). 437 were pedestrians, 115 were in a truck.
This is what the expert says
“The figures show that the Corona effect has finally worn off,” says Kirstin Zeidler, head of accident research at insurers. During the pandemic, the number of accidents had fallen significantly because fewer people were on the road. The number of accidents, injuries and deaths is now rising again.
How can the negative trend be reversed? The expert sees several points where it is worth taking a closer look.
Risk focus 1: Pedestrians
Most accidents involving pedestrians happen when crossing the road, said the accident researcher. In her view, what would help would be more central islands, zebra crossings and traffic lights in all places where many people cross the road, and fewer cars on the side of the road that obstruct the view. In her opinion, the need for older people to travel short distances should be taken into particular consideration here.
Risk focus 2: Cyclists
“Cycling traffic is growing, but the infrastructure is lagging behind,” said Zeidler. Most accidents involving cyclists happen at intersections, the most serious when trucks turn and fail to see the cyclist. In her view, the new turning assistants are “an excellent development.” Zeidler sees another major lever in traffic lights: If the light didn’t turn green for cyclists going straight ahead and cars turning at the same time, that would reduce the number of accidents.
Risk focus 3: Car drivers
In one in three fatal traffic accidents on country roads, one of the participants was driving too fast, according to statistics. Other risk factors include a lack of separation from oncoming traffic, poor overtaking opportunities or unprotected obstacles such as trees next to the road. Accident researcher Zeidler adds another point: inattention and distraction. dpa
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