This year’s weather has been marked by periods of good weather, most recently the warmest October in Austria since records began. Traffic was correspondingly high, also in the area of motorized two-wheeler traffic. This is evident from the accident statistics. Between January 1 and October 30, 2022, 55 people died on motorcycles on Austrian roads.
This is the lowest value in the past 30 years, the ÖAMTC reports, citing Statistics Austria. 55 deaths in ten months is “still an uncomfortably high number,” says traffic engineer David Nose of ÖAMTC. “Most accidents were due to personal fault due to inappropriate speed,” he explains. Furthermore, inattention or distraction and right of way violations are among the most common causes of motorcycle accidents this year. In almost two thirds of the cases the motorcyclists themselves were the main cause of the accident, half of the fatal accidents were single-vehicle accidents.
Dangerous crossing situations
But not all motorcycle accidents are self-inflicted: Especially at intersections (about a quarter) it happens time and again that motorcyclists are overlooked by motorists driving in and out. Three quarters of motorcycle accidents happened on public roads.
By comparison, the number of road deaths in 2022 is above the level of the previous year: on October 30, a total of 327 road users died on the local roads – seven percent more than in 2021, but still nine percent below 2019, the last year before the pandemic started. A long-term comparison shows that the number of motorcyclists dying on Austrian roads tends to decrease: while in 2000 a total of 112 people died in motorcycle accidents across Austria (this corresponds to the highest figure since 1992), the figure was 75 in the previous year (see image above).
But the proportion of motorcyclists killed in all road deaths has increased significantly recently. “It remains to be seen whether this year marked a trend reversal or was just a statistical outlier. Still, there is still a long way to go before we can reach ‘Vision Zero’,” said Nose.
“A little mistake is enough”
Those returning to the sport and sporadic motorcyclists are especially at risk. “A small mistake in line selection, speed or a misjudged overtaking maneuver can be enough to create an emergency,” warned Nose. “If you react incorrectly, a serious crash is usually unavoidable. We therefore recommend regular motorcycle training.” In the past 15 years, motorcyclists between the ages of 40 and 54 died the most. If you only look at the past five years, it is mainly motorcyclists in the 55-59 age group who have had fatal accidents.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
