Frontal crash in Villach: drunk driver causes chaos!

Frontal crash in Villach: drunk driver causes chaos!

A serious traffic accident occurred in Villach today in which a 64-year-old driver was involved in a head-on collision. According to the Gailtal Journal, the person who caused the accident drove his vehicle head-on into the car of a 27-year-old driver from the Villach-Land district. The younger driver was taken to the Villach Regional Hospital with injuries of an unspecified degree.

Both vehicles suffered significant material damage, while the police found that the 64-year-old had a positive alcohol test when the accident occurred. As a result, his driver's license has been temporarily revoked and he is facing legal consequences for being reported.

Statistical classification

Road accidents represent a major safety problem that is taken seriously across the EU. According to data from the European Parliament, thousands of people lose their lives or suffer serious injuries in road accidents every year. In the period between 2010 and 2020, there was a 36 percent decrease in road traffic deaths. Nevertheless, there were still around 22,800 traffic deaths in 2019; Preliminary figures show a decline of 4,000 people in 2020.

In the EU, accident statistics vary greatly between member states. Sweden has the safest roads with 18 traffic deaths per 1 million inhabitants, while Romania has the highest rate with 85 traffic deaths per 1 million inhabitants. The average in the EU is 42 road deaths per 1 million inhabitants. These figures illustrate the urgency of measures to improve road safety.

Development of traffic accidents

Southeast Hesse Police Headquarters that there was a slight decrease in traffic accidents in 2024. A total of 13,859 accidents were recorded, a decrease compared to 13,895 in 2023. The number of serious injuries also fell to 355, while the number of road deaths rose to 25, including seven pedestrians and four cyclists.

The accident in Villach underlines the importance of education and measures to reduce accidents under the influence of alcohol. This type of accident should be further reduced in the future in order to increase road safety and minimize the number of injuries and deaths.