The balance of traffic accidents in 2020 in the area of the Freiburg Police Headquarters was presented today at a video press conference.
Police Vice President Matthias Zeiser and Chief Police Director Uwe Oldenburg (Head of the Police Directorate) presented the accident figures, the most common causes of accidents and information on the road users involved. They also explained the preventive measures that were carried out at the Freiburg Police Headquarters to combat traffic accidents and how the strategy for the year 2021 will look like.
Police Vice President Matthias Zeiser: “The changed mobility is also having an impact on accidents. We have taken this into account in our traffic strategy.”
Chief Police Director Uwe Oldenburg: “The trend has not just been towards cycling since 2020. In urban areas in particular, the probability of being injured in accidents on a bicycle is significantly higher than in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.”
The Freiburg Police Headquarters is pursuing the following approaches to combat traffic accidents:
1. Traffic accident investigation
All traffic accidents recorded by the police are recorded and examined in the command and task force of the Freiburg Police Headquarters in order to determine possible accident black spots and develop strategies to improve traffic safety. Advising local road traffic authorities is also part of the range of tasks, as is participation in accident commissions.
Accident balance 2020:
– The total number of accidents decreased by 14.7% to 20,783 traffic accidents
– The number of traffic accidents with personal injury fell by 6.7% to 3,655
– Number of casualties minus 9.61% to 4,488 people
– Number of fatalities minus 15.2% to 39 people, of which 20 seniors, 10 motorcyclists, 7 cyclists
– Number of seriously injured persons minus 7.8%, of slightly injured persons minus 10%
– Lowest accident rate since 2016
– Increase in traffic accidents with cyclists by 4.3% to 1708, increase with pedelecs by 42.2% to 330.
– Decline in all target groups (young adults, seniors, alcohol and drug accidents)
– Corona pandemic: fewer accidents from March to May compared to the previous year, the number of fatalities and seriously injured, however, at the previous year’s level
– Developments: In 2020 there were more serious accidents with cycling than with motorcycles
– Those involved in the accident: in the case of serious traffic accidents, car traffic before cycling and motorcycle accidents
– Causes of the accident: Unadjusted speed with 23%
– Accident locations: around three quarters of accidents happen within built-up areas, in accidents with seriously injured people the number of injured people is almost the same (outside: 448, inside 478), inside more cyclists than car drivers
– Bicycle accidents: 43% happen in Freiburg, followed by Lörrach (5%), the main causes being inappropriate speed, but also alcohol influence
– Motorcycle accidents: overall fewer traffic accidents, but an increase in serious accidents with motorcycles (+ 2.2%), particularly those on excursion routes in the Black Forest
– Demographic development: There are now as many older people as young adults among the victims
Key messages for the urban and rural districts:
– Decline in the total number of accidents everywhere
– Strong differences in the development of the number of accidents with injuries (district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald plus 7.9%, district Waldshut minus 13.5%)
– The number of road users killed in the urban district of Freiburg and in the district of Lörrach fell by over 50%.
– Motorway: total number of accidents decreased by 21.6%, the number of fatalities increased from one to two.
2. Traffic surveillance
In many situations, irregular behavior by road users leads to increased risks in road traffic. Excessive speed, insufficient distance and reckless driving maneuvers can be effectively combated through consistent traffic police surveillance measures. They orientate themselves to the most accident-prone areas and attach great importance to communication with road users. The confrontation with the identified misconduct and the associated risk potential is referred to as a “traffic-educational conversation”. It distinguishes the special quality of police traffic monitoring.
An excerpt from the traffic surveillance 2020:
– 6,165 violations of the obligation to wear seat belts
– 591 children not properly secured
– 4,738 reports for cell phone operation at the wheel
– 117,455 speed violations, 2,074 of them with driving bans
– 1,354 reports of drink-driving
– 802 reports of drugs in traffic
– 1,271 checked motorcycles
In order to combat road accidents with serious consequences (seriously injured, fatalities) in particular, the priorities of road safety work for the year 2021 were set on the basis of the accident situation.
The focus this year is on motorcycle and bicycle traffic. Bicycle traffic in particular has increased significantly, and the importance of bicycle traffic in accidents has increased. The cities of Freiburg and Lörrach form the geographical focus of preventive police action planning.
As in previous years, the concept for combating motorcycle accidents will be continued at full speed through traffic monitoring measures and prevention campaigns. We hope to be able to accompany this priority work with intensive preventive measures this year. In response to the main cause of the accident, speed, the high control pressure that has already built up is maintained. In addition to traffic behavior, the holistic traffic controls also focus on the technical compliance of motorcycles. It becomes the possibility
exist to actively support this concept on the part of the media.
3. Prevention
The prevention department at the Freiburg Police Headquarters and its employees offer a wide range of projects to promote road safety and prevent road accidents. Traffic education in kindergartens and elementary schools in particular helps to ensure that the youngest road users are prepared as early as possible for the dangers of road traffic. The safe way to school remains a focus of police traffic prevention.
Despite the difficult prerequisites in 2020, 2,445 primary school students were trained in cycling training in compliance with distance and hygiene rules and 5,859 children were trained in events on how to get to school safely. In addition, the prevention specialists take care of other relevant target groups in road traffic. Actions for young riders and seminars for older people are part of their repertoire, pedelec riders are instructed in handling electric bicycles and made aware of the risk of accidents.
The effectiveness of the police traffic safety work of the Freiburg Police Headquarters is enhanced by intensive cooperation with other actors in this area. At the working level, there is a regular exchange with associations and non-profit organizations that are committed to the prevention of traffic accidents in order to coordinate the various activities and implement joint projects. Examples include the provision of exercise areas, training equipment and hygiene material by the on-site traffic guards. Despite the unusual cycling training at school, 2310 more pupils were made familiar with the basic rules of road traffic.
Further contributions from the Freiburg Police Headquarters
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