Road fatalities in Germany increase sharply, reversing a 20-year trend

According to Germany's Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, the number of people who died in road traffic accidents in Germany increased by 9.9 per cent to 4,009 in 2011 compared to 2010 - the first time in 20 years that the number of fatalities has risen. Paradoxically, the overall number of road traffic accidents registered by the police was down by 2.1 per cent (to 2.36 million in 2011) compared to 2010.
July 10, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
According to Germany's Federal Statistics Office, 6163 Destatis, the number of people who died in road traffic accidents in Germany increased by 9.9 per cent to 4,009 in 2011 compared to 2010 - the first time in 20 years that the number of fatalities has risen. Paradoxically, the overall number of road traffic accidents registered by the police was down by 2.1 per cent (to 2.36 million in 2011) compared to 2010.

The majority of fatal accidents, 60.9 per cent, happened on out of town country roads and this sector the largest percentage increase – 10.6 per cent - over the previous year.

‘Unsuitable speed’ was still the most common fault in 2011 but the absolute number of accidents due to inappropriate speed actually decreased in 2011. However, there were 7.1 per cent more of deaths in these accidents: nearly 40 per cent of all traffic fatalities last year were due to excessive speed of drivers involved in accidents.

The statistics also reveal an increase of 17 per cent in the number of alcohol related fatalities in accidents, the first time this has increased since 2002, and which related to 10 per cent of all fatalities.

The only major improvement recorded was that the number of children who died in road accidents in 2011 was down 17.3 per cent over the previous year.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Nearly 54,000 UK learner drivers rack up penalty points
    June 26, 2014
    New research from insurance price comparison website Confused.com has found that there are currently nearly 54,000 learner drivers in the UK who have penalty points on their provisional licence. The findings, obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, reveal that learner drivers are racking up penalty points for motoring offences before officially passing their driving test. According to official figures 53,988 provisional licence holders have valid penalty points on their licence, meaning
    Read More
  • ‘Risky tailgating and speeding rife on UK motorways’
    May 22, 2014
    Six in ten UK drivers own up to risky tailgating (57 per cent) and a similar proportion break the limit by 10mph or more (60 per cent) on motorways and 70mph dual carriageways, with men by far the worst offenders, a survey by Brake and insurance company Direct Line reveals. Almost all drivers say they worry about other drivers tailgating on motorways: 95 per cent are at least occasionally concerned about vehicles too close behind them; more than four in ten (44 per cent) are concerned every, or most, tim
    Read More
  • London’s strategy to tackle air quality problems
    October 21, 2014
    Colin Sowman talks to Matthew Pencharz, the man charged with charting London’s path between catering for traveller needs, conserving ancient buildings and conforming to modern air quality standards.
    Read More
  • Positive incentives an alternative to road user charging?
    February 1, 2012
    The Netherlands has been looking at incentivising rush-hour avoidance. The intention is to better understand road users' motivations and find alternatives to congestion charging. Something significant needs to happen if we are to adequately address the traffic congestion and other issues caused by the ever-rising numbers of vehicles on our roads. Congestion or distance-based charging is seen as one way of managing demand and raising revenue for improvements to transport infrastructure. However, charging is
    Read More

Highlighted Content