In Styria

61 victims: number of fatal accidents decreased in 2024

White crosses next to the road commemorate the fatalities.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

With 61 fatalities, the number of the most tragic road accidents fell in the previous year, but the Austrian Transport Club is not satisfied with this. These measures could make Styrian roads even safer.

While there were 81 fatalities in 2023, there were 20 fewer in the previous year, according to the mobility organization VCÖ. This is a reversal of the recent rising trend. The lowest number of road deaths to date was 50 in Styria in 2020. However, spokesperson Christian Gratzer emphasizes: "Every fatal road accident is one too many."

Slow down and get off your cell phone
The largest groups of victims in 2024 were car occupants, motorcyclists and pedestrians. Just on New Year's Eve, a pedestrian (79) died in an accident in the district of Weiz. The main causes of accidents are distraction and inappropriate speed. The VCÖ therefore advocates a 30 km/h speed limit in municipalities and an 80 km/h speed limit on open roads. More public transport connections would also contribute to greater safety.

It also states: "The next federal government is called upon to finally include cell phone driving as an offense in the Austrian offender registration system, as is the case in most EU countries." Anyone talking on a cell phone while driving reacts as slowly as a drunk driver with 0.8 per mille. When reading and writing messages, the risk of an accident is even more than 20 times higher.