Ambel view campaign: Every seventh disregarded red light in front of tunnels!

Ambel view campaign: Every seventh disregarded red light in front of tunnels!

An alarming survey by the Board of Trustees (KFV) shows that numerous drivers ignore red traffic lights from motorway tunnels. According to the survey, which includes over 1,000 respondents, 20% of the participants have observed that other road users have been brought into a tunnel despite red light. It is worrying that 7% of the respondents indicate that they have driven into a blocked tunnel even when it comes to red. In order to counteract this dangerous tendency, ASFINAG has launched the security campaign "traffic lights", which aims to strengthen awareness of the importance of traffic lights and to promote correct behavior in tunnel entrances, reports 5min.at.

The most common reasons for driving over the red tunnels are diverse. 30% of the respondents confessed that they saw other drivers who did this. Another 26% stated that they had not seen or overlooked the traffic lights, while 26% also underestimate the importance of the tunnel lamps. 22% of the drivers felt under pressure or were unsure in their decision, and 16% considered the entry into the tunnel.

investments in tunnel safety

ASFINAG has started a comprehensive tunnel safety offensive since 2004 and has already invested around six billion euros in the safety of 170 tunnels. Around 400 million euros flow into the improvement in tunnel safety every year. These measures include full expansion with two tunnel tubes, technical modernizations and the introduction of modern security systems such as acoustic tunnel monitoring (acute). Hartwig Hufnagl, board of ASFINAG, emphasizes that traffic safety is teamwork and technology and behavior would have to interlock in order to prevent accidents, according to [asfinag.at] (https://www.asfinag.at/ueber-uns/pressem reports/neue Security-kampagne- against-rotlicht-bei-autobahntunnel/).

There is special attention to the statistics of traffic accidents, which serve as the basis for measures in legislation and traffic education. Every year, comprehensive data on traffic accidents are collected that are important for the development of strategies in transport policy and infrastructure. The collection of this data not only supports the understanding of the accidents, but also the identification of the most common causes of the accident, as documented by destatis.de.

The "traffic lights" campaign

The ongoing “traffic lights” campaign aims to sharpen awareness of the importance of the light signal systems in front of the tunnel entrances. These traffic lights not only warn in accidents or fires, but are part of a comprehensive security system that also includes video cameras and sensors for carbon monoxide. Despite the ongoing efforts for security-in the previous year, 130 accidents with personal damage in Asfinag tunnels, including nine fires, were counted-the formation and sensitization of drivers remains a central element to avoid future incidents.

With a clear focus on security and prevention, ASFINAG hopes not only to reduce the number of red light violations through the “traffic light view” campaign, but also to significantly improve general traffic safety on motorways.