Often "rolling bombs"

More truck fatalities: the causes in man & machine

Defect on the roadside: the off-road "parking space" of the truck is secured by ASFINAG.(Bild: Patrick Huber)

Truck drivers are well-trained professionals who follow strict regulations. But the monotony of long journeys can lead to distractions. The ÖAMTC expert emphasizes: "Violations of driving and rest times are dangerous - stricter controls are needed here. Technical defects in vehicles are another accident risk. 

A ticking bomb on worn tires was on the road on Vienna's S1 outer ring road: a coach was taken out of circulation on Thursday and its license plates were removed. For the 13 occupants and other road users, a - probably imminent - tire blowout could have had a fatal end, according to the police.

Accident rate and fatalities involving trucks on the rise
Such and similar cases are unfortunately not uncommon: time and again, officers come across "moving wrecks" during checks and are often surprised by their findings themselves. "Accidents involving trucks account for four and a half times as many fatalities," says David Nosé from ÖAMTC: "And unfortunately, the proportion has been on the rise again for years." According to data from 2023, Lower Austria is only in second place behind Upper Austria for vehicles over 3.5 tons with 200 truck accidents with personal injury, but with 20 fatalities it is by far in the lead - twice as many as in 2019.

From technical defects to rest periods: We call for even more intensive checks.

David Nosé, Verkehrsexperte beim ÖAMTC

Bild: ÖAMTC/Postl

Many old vehicles still on the road without safety systems
"In addition to technical faults, the main causes are exceeding driving and rest times and failing to keep a safe distance, which is usually not observed on routes with high truck volumes," says Nosé.

Rear-end collisions involving heavy goods vehicles pose a particular risk, although emergency brake assistants have been mandatory for trucks since the end of 2018. "However, the aim of tradespeople is to keep their vehicles in use as often and as long as possible: That's why there are many technically outdated trucks on the road," says Nosé. Many of the particularly damaged vehicles come from eastern countries where the rules are not as strict.