Traffic debate in Carinthia: 28 dead and shocking safety numbers!

traffic safety in Carinthia shows alarming trends. According to the current reports by ORF Carinthia and my district, 28 people died this year in traffic accidents, almost as many as in the previous year, when 29 deaths were counted. It is particularly frightening that the sacrificial group of older people with twelve dead represents the second largest, while ten car inmates and eight motorcyclists also suffered fatal accidents. These worrying statistics draw attention to the need for improvements in road traffic.

A central point is the demand for a speed limit of 80 km/h on dangerous open -air roads, where more than half of the traffic fatalities were recorded in the first eight months of the year. As Katharina Jaschinsky from the VCÖ explains, distraction and unadjusted speed are the main causes of serious traffic accidents. The risk of being distracted by cell phone use at the wheel increases dramatically: the response time of a driver who calls on the phone corresponds to that of a drunk driver with 0.8 per thousand, which increases the accident potential, as my district reports.

urgent security measures required

In order to reduce the increasing number of traffic fattening, an expansion of public transport offers is also required to increase traffic safety. According to the reports, it sounds clear: More connections in public transport could help to ensure that fewer people are traveling in their cars, which ultimately reduces the risks. In addition, Jaschinsky warns that the upcoming government measures are urgently necessary to sanction dangerous behaviors such as telephoning at the wheel and thus increase safety on the streets.

Overall, Carinthia has one of the highest ratios rates compared to other federal states this year, only Lower Austria recorded even more with 83 deaths. According to VCÖ, the economic costs of road traffic are also high, with around 620 million euros this year alone. These alarming numbers illustrate urgency to take effective measures to improve traffic safety in Carinthia.