Road Traffic Accidents

Significantly less deaths in drink-driving accidents

Alcohol was found to be a contributory cause in 2 256 road traffic accidents (-9.4% compared to 2009), where a total of 3 063 people were injured (-10.1%) and 33 (46 in 2009) were killed. So one out of sixteen accidents was a drink-driving accident and every seventeenth person killed in a road traffic accident fell victim to such an accident. 30 years ago the number of victims was ten times higher. Though drink-driving is primarily a male issue, the number of women under the influence of alcohol increases steadily. While 20 years ago 4% of all drunk drivers involved in accidents were female, in 2010 the share amounted to 12%.

In the age group of the 15- to-24-year olds the number of drunk drivers involved in accidents fell by 10%, that of people aged 19 years even by one third.

Generally it must be assumed that there is a high number of unreported cases involving drink-driving, particularly among those accidents causing death. In Austria the blood alcohol concentration of people killed on the roads is usually not examined.

Accidents with children involved

In 2010, children were involved in a total of 2 669 road traffic accidents (-9.2%). The number of children up to the age of 14 who were injured fell by 8.4% to 2 914. 10 children (2009: 15 children killed) died within 30 days of the accident.

Most of the children injured and killed (41%) were car passengers (1 200), 94% of them were secured by a restraint system, 26% were pedestrians (748) and 18% bicyclists (534).

Less accidents especially with motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians

Besides other factors, the weather also has some influence on the volume of traffic and therefore, on the number of accidents.

According to the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG), there was a snowy winter 2009/2010, a rainy summer 2010 and a cold start into the winter 2010/2011.

This was also reflected in the road accident statistics: except March, April and November all months showed the lowest number of accidents since records began in 1961. Especially the number of accidents with motorcycles and mopeds (-12%), bicycles (-11%) and pedestrians (-7%) decreased. The number of accidents with passenger cars involved fell by 5%.

All main groups of road users show a decline in the number of fatalities, such of pedestrian fatalities (98) almost remained constant since 2005.

Accidents involving heavy goods vehicles: 4% of all accidents claimed 18% of all fatalities

Accidents involving a heavy goods vehicle (HGV, more than 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible gross vehicle weight) were very serious in 2010. Although less heavy lorry accidents happened, the number of people being killed in those accidents increased by 19 people to 101 (+23%).

Thereby, 4% of all accidents claimed 18% of all people killed in accidents. Thus the risk to be killed in an accident involving HGV’s is sginficantly high: every fifth person killed in an accident was victim of an accident with heavy lorries involved, on highways even every third.

For more detailed information please refer to the German version.