Alcoholized driver races in Maria Saal against tree - second sleep?

Alcoholized driver races in Maria Saal against tree - second sleep?

In the early morning hours of June 27, 2025, the Ottmanacher State Road (L86) in Maria Saal, Klagenfurt Land district, occurred a serious traffic accident. A 33-year-old man from the Völkermarkt district was traveling with his vehicle from Rosendorf towards Ottmanach at 1:00 a.m. when he apparently came off the road due to a second sleep, walked a slope along 70 meters and crashed into a tree frontally. The driver stated that he was no longer able to control the vehicle, which is often associated with fatigue.

The unusual driver had medium -sized alcoholization, according to an alcove test, which also impaired his condition at the time of the accident. Despite a slight pulling in the neck and shoulder area, he refused to use the emergency services. The police temporarily took his driver's license and prohibited him from continuing. The vehicle suffered a total loss and the Maria Saal fire brigade had been called to the scene of the accident with two vehicles and seven emergency services.

The dangers of seconds sleep and fatigue

The incident once again throws a light on the serious dangers of second sleep, a phenomenon in which the driver lose control of your vehicle for a short time. Statistics show that seconds sleep and fatigue are a serious threat to road traffic. In 2019, eleven people in Austria killed 451 accidents caused by fatigue. By December 13, 2023, five other people died in similar accidents, all of which took place outside of towns. According to estimates, 15 to 20 percent of all traffic accidents are due to fatigue, with almost 70 percent of these accidents being sole accidents ([ÖAMTC] (https://www.oeatc.at/sekundenschlaf-erhoehen--weg-fuer-uer-uer-uer-uer-uer-- 41640411)).

darkness, unfavorable weather conditions and changed living conditions, such as the challenges of home office during pandemic, have severely affected the vigilance and concentration of many drivers. This leads to an increased risk of fatigue accidents, especially on little -used roads and highways. In addition, it is pointed out that fatigue reduces the ability to correctly assess intervals, speed limits and change of lane (ADAC).

prevention measures in road traffic

In order to counteract the risk of seconds sleep and fatigue, experts from the ÖAMTC and the ADAC have put together various tips. Drivers should only sleep and take the first signs of fatigue seriously. On long journeys it is recommended to take a break every two hours and move in the fresh air. A powernap of 20 to 30 minutes can help to temporarily increase vigilance. In addition, tiredness signs such as often yawn or difficulties in keeping the trail should be observed ([ÖAMTC] (https://www.oeastc.at/pesse/sekundenschlaf-erhoehen-fuer-uer-uebermuedungsunfaelle- 41640411), [ADAC] (https://presse.adac.de/smetungen/adac-ev/traut/muedigkeit-so-gefaehrlich-wie-------------------- alcohol-am-steuer.html).

The topic of fatigue should be discussed more to increase the safety in road traffic and to avoid tragic accidents such as those in Maria Saal.