Drunk 23-year-old crashes against tree with 1.48 per thousand!

Drunk 23-year-old crashes against tree with 1.48 per thousand!

In the early Saturday morning, June 7, 2025, there was a serious traffic accident in the district of Grieskirchen, Upper Austria. A 23-year-old driver from the Eferding district lost control of his vehicle on the B130 when he was traveling towards Eferding. The driver first got on the right road bank, stripping a rock next to the road at the outcome of a light right -hand bend, and then finally came to the left of the street. The car crashed head -on against a tree in the embankment on the Adlersbach.

The driver was brought to the Wels Clinic with injuries of an indefinite degree. No alkotest could be carried out on site, but a breath alcohol value of 0.74 mg/l was found in the hospital, which corresponds to a value of around 1.48 per thousand. Due to this alcoholization, the 23-year-old's driver's license was withdrawn by the police, which is a clear consequence of his dangerous behavior.

alcoholization in road traffic

The topic of driving under the influence of alcohol has been a central topic in Austria since the introduction of the 0.5-promille limit on January 6, 1998. Before this measure, there were alarming statistics in 1998: 2,217 alcohol accidents with 82 deaths and 3,113 injured. The situation has improved in recent years, but a preliminary statistics of 2022 shows that alcoholization still plays a role in 18 fatal accidents (5.2 percent). In 2021, 2,348 alcohol and drug accidents were also registered, which is 7.2 percent of all accidents.

More than half of these alcohol accidents are caused by drivers with over 1.2 per thousand. A dramatic increase in such accidents has been observed since 2012. Dr. Armin Kaltenegger, an expert in this area, therefore calls for the introduction of alcohol removal wires for unteachable drivers. This measure is intended to prevent alcohol trips in advance.

social developments and further measures

Longer time was widespread and socially accepted under the influence of alcohol in Austria, especially until the end of the 1950s. It was only in the past few decades that a rethink has occurred, which is reflected in a significant decline in the number of accidents. Nevertheless, it turns out that stagnating or even increasing number of accidents have been recorded for alcoholization for around 20 years.

The possibility of withdrawing the steering authorization with impaired driving ability has existed in Austria since 1955. Clear alcohol boundaries were introduced in 1961. A border of 0.5 per thousand applies to the steering, and there is still a border line of 0.8 per thousand for cyclists. Penalties are staggered and range from fines to several months of driving license trains, depending on the severity of alcoholization.

Although current surveys show that younger road users have a higher risk awareness, the challenge remains. 31 percent of Austrian respondents stated that they had driven by a car in the last 30 days after alcohol consumption, which is worrying. Dr. Kaltenegger emphasizes that further measures are necessary to effectively combat the dangers of alcohol at the tax.

The balance of these developed statistics and social changes shows that there is still a need for action to free the streets of alcoholic drivers and to ensure the safety of all road users.