Another Accident on the B148

The Innviertel’s “horror stretch” just won’t let up

Just six days earlier, two drivers had lost their lives at this very spot.(Bild: Feuerwehr Mining)

It had been less than a week since two drivers lost their lives on Altheimer Straße (B148 in Upper Austria). On Saturday evening, there was another crash in the same curve, but fortunately, this time the outcome was less severe. The “Krone” asked State Transportation Minister Günther Steinkellner (FPÖ) what needs to be done there.

“When we saw that no one was trapped, a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders.” Bernhard Raschhofer, commander of the Mining Volunteer Fire Department, had once again been called out with his colleagues on Saturday to kilometer 24 of the notorious B148.

Veered into oncoming traffic
There, shortly before 7 p.m., a 52-year-old Croatian man from Schärding had veered into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with the car of a 25-year-old Bulgarian man from France. The Croatian man’s wife (52) and a 23-year-old Bulgarian woman were injured in the crash. Three other passengers were unharmed, but the cars were totaled.

Just six days earlier, two drivers had lost their lives at this very spot(Bild: Feuerwehr Mining)

Handling a Horrific Crash Well
What goes through your mind when you’re called out again for a “rescue operation following a traffic accident, unclear situation”? “What happened there before is no longer on our minds,” clarifies Raschhofer (34). Most of the 32 crew members from Saturday were also on duty on Sunday. “That shows we’ve done a good job with our internal crisis intervention,” says the commander, adding: “The great thing is that we almost always improve the situation. Unfortunately, sometimes it just doesn’t work out—that’s part of the job.”

Relieving traffic on the B148 can’t be achieved solely on-site. The planned bypass near the Wenger district of Elling is nevertheless necessary.

Verkehrs-Landesrat Günther Steinkellner (FPÖ)

Bild: Kerschbaummayr Werner

Often Close Calls
It’s a miracle that nothing worse has happened on the stretch around the Wenger district of Elling: every day, there are stories of close calls on the B148—but you can’t always blame the road itself for them, according to Raschhofer. “Many drivers are simply extremely reckless on the road or underestimate how long it takes to pass another vehicle,” the commander laments.

Both vehicles involved in the accident sustained severe damage.(Bild: Feuerwehr Mining)

Action Is Still Needed
“The state of Upper Austria has implemented many measures there: speed limits, no-passing zones, structural improvements, and the speed camera in Elling. Not least, the number of speeders there shows that there is still a need for action,” according to a statement from the office of State Transportation Minister Günther Steinkellner (FPÖ).

A8 Expansion Is Also Expected to Help 
However, the connection between the Innkreis A8 highway and Simbach am Inn (Bavaria) cannot be relieved solely through on-site measures. It requires a combination of compliance with existing restrictions, traffic regulations and infrastructure measures, the planned bypass—as reported by the “Krone”—and a more efficient A8: Here, the State Councilor is calling for a three-lane expansion in certain sections.

„Krone“-Kommentar:

Es ist nicht nur die Straße schuld

Accidents and fatalities are frequent on some sections of the road. Often, these can be mitigated—with road curves, traffic islands, and speed limits.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Alexander Schwarzl, Markus Wenzel)

It’s not that simple on the congested B148; even a bypass wouldn’t be a magic bullet. Even if traffic enforcement and regulations are unpopular—70 percent of “Krone” readers opposed a 80 km/h speed limit on rural roads in the “Question of the Week”—appealing to personal responsibility on Altheimer Straße is clearly not enough. Reckless or distracted drivers can cause an accident even on the best road.