VCÖ balance sheet for 2023

Accidents on Tyrol’s roads cost 980 million euros

An analysis by Verkehrsclub Österreich (VCÖ) shows that crashes are also associated with high costs. Among other things, one expert calls for 80 km/h on open roads to reduce accidents. 

Last year, 35 people died and 4705 were injured on Tyrolean roads, 937 of whom were seriously injured. This not only caused suffering and pain, but also high costs, as analyzed by the VCÖ.

If you add up treatment costs, deployment costs, property damage, costs to the economy due to the loss of workers and the monetary valuation of the suffering and pain, the experts say the total comes to a whopping 980 million euros.

By comparison, the costs in Lower Austria were the highest at 1.8 billion euros.

A lower speed means a shorter stopping distance, which reduces the number of accidents and the severity of injuries.

VCÖ-Expertin Katharina Jaschinsky

80 km/h on open roads a requirement
According to VCÖ expert Katharina Jaschinsky, a lower speed in road traffic is a key lever for reducing the number of accidents: "A lower speed means a shorter stopping distance, which reduces the number of accidents and the severity of injuries."

As in many other European countries, she is calling for a speed limit of 80 instead of 100 km/h on open roads. She is also in favor of including the offence of driving while using a cell phone in the offender register.

Adapt traffic planning
In cities and municipalities, however, traffic calming and traffic planning is needed that is geared towards the safety of children, elderly people and pedestrians. In this context, the VCÖ refers to an online map at www.vcoe.at, on which the public can also mark places where improvements are needed until May 31.

Last but not least, Jaschinsky is also calling for the infrastructure for cyclists to be expanded. This could reduce the number of serious cycling accidents.