Dramatic rise

Fewer fatalities on Austria’s roads in 2024

Up to September last year, 281 people lost their lives on Austria's roads. That is a decrease. At the same time, however, six percent more people were injured, a total of 36,000. The number of children involved in accidents also rose to its highest level in the past 15 years.

This was announced by Statistics Austria on Friday. In the first three quarters of the previous year, 2476 children under the age of 14 were injured in road accidents. A further four children lost their lives. The increase in injuries was particularly high among those traveling by bicycle or e-scooter. Only four out of ten injured minors were wearing a bicycle helmet at the time of the accident.

One in ten died in alcohol-related accidents
28 people died in alcohol-related accidents between January and September 2024. That is ten percent of all traffic fatalities. Twelve people were drunk themselves, the rest were non-drunk drivers, passengers or pedestrians.

Most (73 percent) had an alcohol level of over one per mille, 14 percent even over two. 85 percent of drunk drivers involved in a road accident with injuries were men.

E-scooter drivers aged 31 on average
According to Statistics Austria, there was also a sharp increase in the number of e-scooter riders involved in accidents in the first nine months of 2023. On average, these accident victims were 31 years old and 70 percent were male. In addition, 16 percent were drunk at the time of the accident.