Only in Vienna Did the Number of Traffic Fatalities Increase in 2024

With 349 people, according to preliminary figures, who died on Austria's roads last year, the Ministry of the Interior (BMI) can report the second lowest value since the start of records in 1950 on New Year's Day. This also represents a decrease of 13.2 percent compared to 2023 when 402 people died. Only in the first Corona year (2020) were there fewer victims in road traffic with 344 fatalities.

349 Traffic Fatalities in 2024: Victim Count Down by 13.2 Percent

"This statistic underscores the good and conscientious work of the police on Austrian roads," Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) was quoted in a press release. "The police officers have been sensitized to alcohol and drug drivers, regular focus controls contribute to the safety of all road users," added Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Safety. In addition to surveillance and control, prevention and awareness-raising are essential tasks of the executive to prevent accidents, it was further stated.

349 traffic fatalities are less than an eighth of the fatalities from the year 1972, the BMI calculated. In this so far "darkest year" of accident statistics, there were 2,948 deaths. Since then, the number of registered vehicles in Austria has almost tripled from 2.5 million to 7.3 million in 2024. And just twelve years ago (2012), more than 500 traffic fatalities had to be mourned with 531 deaths.

Lower Austria with Most Traffic Fatalities, Increase in Vienna

The most traffic fatalities in 2024 were in Lower Austria with 83 (100) and in Upper Austria with 72 (75), the lowest number was in Vorarlberg with seven (13) and in Burgenland with 16 traffic fatalities (2023: 21). In Styria, 61 (81) road users died, in Tyrol 32 (35), in Carinthia 29 (30), in Salzburg 28 (35) and in Vienna 20 (12) - so only in Vienna there was an increase, Lower Austria and Vorarlberg even recorded the lowest numbers of traffic fatalities in 60 years in 2024.

Of the 349 fatal traffic accidents, 147 car occupants lost their lives, 82 motorcyclists (including 27 with light motorcycles), 46 pedestrians, 32 cyclists (including 20 with electric bicycles), 21 truck occupants (including 13 in small trucks) - compared to the previous year, there were mainly declines, only the number of killed truck occupants slightly increased.

Distraction as the Most Common Cause of Fatal Accidents

The most common cause of fatal traffic accidents is still inattention or distraction (33.1 percent), followed by inappropriate speed (23.6 percent) and violation of right-of-way (13.5 percent) - drugs or medication were involved in 24 or 6.9 percent of fatal accidents.

Compared to 2023, there were shifts in that there were fewer accidents due to pedestrian misconduct, while the main causes of alcohol, drugs or medication saw increases, reported the BMI. The majority of fatal accidents occurred on the former federal roads (139 fatalities), followed by state roads (105) and other roads (72). 247 road users (71.0 percent) died in rural areas in 2024, 101 or 29.0 percent in urban areas.

VCÖ Criticises Lack of Road Safety

Four children aged up to 14 years died in road traffic in 2024, three of them as car passengers and one child as a pedestrian. In 2023, seven children and in 2022, 13 children died in accidents. No child aged six to 15 years died in a school route accident in 2024. The worst accident last year occurred on Thursday, May 30, 2024, around 9:00 pm, on the Wiener Neustädter Straße (B17) in the municipality of St. Egyden am Steinfeld, district Neunkirchen, Lower Austria. In a rollover of a small truck in a roundabout, four occupants were killed and two others seriously injured. The individuals were four Latvian, one Russian and one Swedish nationals.

Despite the significant decrease compared to the previous year, the VCÖ criticised that with 349 traffic fatalities, the road safety target, which aimed for less than 312 traffic fatalities for the year 2020, was clearly missed. "When targets in road safety are missed, people pay with their health or even their lives," VCÖ spokesman Christian Gratzer was quoted in a press release.

(APA/Red)

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