Traffic balance 2023

Distraction is the number one cause of death on the road

The year 2023 started with a drama: two women died in a horrific accident in Musau on New Year's Day.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

More than 3,800 accidents with over 4,600 injuries and 35 fatalities - this is the traffic balance sheet of the Tyrolean police for the past year. Emotional campaigns are being used to combat the rising numbers of drink and, above all, drug-impaired drivers. 

It's little consolation - but Tyrol has also seen other horror figures in the past. In 2004, for example, 64 road deaths were counted here, four years later it was 71! Figures from which we are now fortunately far removed.

The number of road deaths has risen sharply, especially among the over-80s. Of the total of eight fatalities in the previous year, seven were pedestrians.

Günther Salzmann, Leiter der Landesverkehrsabteilung

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

35 people died on Tyrol's roads
Nevertheless, the principle remains: every fatality is one too many! "Last year, 35 people lost their lives on Tyrol's roads," said provincial police director Helmut Tomac and Günther Salzmann, head of the Tyrolean traffic police, on Friday. There were six fewer in 2022. Unfortunately, the bottom line is an increase of 20 percent! This means we have reached the level before the coronavirus pandemic (37 deaths in 2019).

Alcohol in traffic is too common. Those who don't drink at the weekend and drive others home should not be seen as bores, but as heroes.

René Zumtobel, Verkehrs-Landesrat in Tirol (SPÖ)

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

The police have analyzed the accidents. The results are striking: The victims were mainly men (24 out of 35) and most of the fatal accidents - caused specifically by motorcyclists involved in accidents - happened in summer (13 in June and July).

As of March, the police are allowed to confiscate vehicles of speeders who are caught speeding at more than 200 km/h on a highway at a speed limit of 130 km/h, for example.

Bernhard Knapp, Vorstand Abteilung Verkehrsrecht

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

More pedestrian fatalities
Eleven car drivers and the same number of motorcyclists lost their lives in 2023. "However, the biggest increase was in the number of pedestrian fatalities - from three to seven," explains Salzmann.

No matter how much monitoring and prevention is carried out, it cannot ultimately replace the personal responsibility of road users.

Helmut Tomac, Landespolizeidirektor von Tirol

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

Police want to take a closer look at drugs and alcohol
The main causes of accidents were carelessness, speeding and dangerous overtaking maneuvers. "Prevention and monitoring should continue to have a positive influence on the development of road accidents," explains Tomac. Emotional campaigns on the topics of alcohol and addictive drugs are also planned, in which stories are brought to light. In the previous year, 1050 drug drivers were caught in Tyrol - in 2022 it was 601.

Beyond all the debates about controls or stricter laws, however, Tomac appeals: "Nobody can take personal responsibility away from road users!"