In Austria, 390 ghost rides were counted last year. This corresponds to a slight increase of two reports compared to 2021. However: in 2022 there were no fatalities in any of the ghost rides, while in 2021 there were three fatalities. The daily record was incidentally on July 3, when six wrong-way drivers were reported. On each of the other three days, the alarm went off five times.
There were a total of seven wrong-way driver crashes last year, five of which resulted in personal injury, one seriously injured and ten slightly injured. In 2021 there were nine accidents with three fatalities, seven serious injuries and ten minor injuries.
Ranking of the federal states
Lower Austria is well ahead of Styria and Carinthia in terms of the number of incidents with 96 reports (2021: 91). The fewest wrong-way drivers were counted in Vienna with seven reports (2021: twelve), reports Ö3. Carinthia therefore experienced a strong increase and the numbers also increased in Lower Austria. Burgenland reached “an all-time high” with 21 reports (2021: 17), but again finished in seventh place out of nine federal states.
In contrast, there were significantly fewer wrong-way drivers in Upper Austria and Styria, and numbers also fell in Salzburg, Vorarlberg and Vienna. In Tyrol, the frequency remained the same as last year.
A2 magically attracts ghost drivers
When the numbers of wrong-way drivers are compared to the total length of the motorway and motorway network, Carinthia is number 1. The southern motorway (A2) remained the motorway with the most reports, at 65. In relation to the total length, there were the Murtal motorway (S36) in Styria has the most wrong-way drivers on the road. According to Ö3, the “Wörthersee section” in Carinthia on the A2 between Klagenfurt and Villach was the section of the motorway with the most reports – 18 wrong-way drivers were noticed here. Since the start of registration, the absolute largest number of wrong-way drivers has been reported there. The area around Villach is also a hotspot, where a total of 54 wrong-way drivers were counted on the A2, A10, A11 and at the Villach interchange – one in seven in the whole of Austria.
When wrong-way drivers are most often on the road:
In July 2022 there were the most reports with 44. In January and September the fewest reports were each with 25 wrong-way drivers. Again, they were out more often on weekends than on weekdays, usually on Saturdays. Wrong-way drivers are mainly spotted in the late afternoon and late evening, with the lowest risk between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
