One canton upset leader: Number of alcohol-related accidents reached record high

class = “sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>

The number of traffic accidents due to drunk driving increased significantly in 2022. 19 percent more accidents in which alcohol was the main cause were recorded last year compared to 2021 – 4,558 compared to 3,815, Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) said, citing federal figures. Almost ten percent (432) of serious accidents resulting in serious injury or death make the 2022 toll the worst in the last decade! The number of serious accidents has increased continuously since 2016, except for the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

There are more accidents almost everywhere

The most serious accidents caused by drunk driving also occurred in Geneva in 2022; On average, there were 1.04 serious accidents per 10,000 people. The canton of Western Switzerland has led the way in this sad statistic for six years running. Behind Geneva are Schaffhausen, Nidwalden (0.91), Ticino (0.80) and Obwalden (0.78), with 0.95 serious accidents per 10,000 people. In Schaffhausen, this rate has almost quadrupled compared to 2021 (0.24); In Ticino, the number of serious accidents also increased sharply compared to the previous year (0.51).

There was an increase in all cantons except the cantons of Jura, Zug, Zurich and Uri, where the number of serious accidents decreased. The national average also rose significantly; It increased from 0.42 crashes per 10,000 people in 2021 to 0.49 in 2022. Only in the canton of Uri, with a population of around 37,000, there was not a single serious accident with alcohol as the main cause in 2022.

Tickets also sell out more often

The deadliest accidents caused by drunk driving last year occurred in the canton of Vaud, where six people died. Ticino follows with three fatal accidents. In 2022, there were 25 fatal accidents due to drunk driving in Switzerland. But it wasn’t just the number of serious and fatal crashes that increased significantly last year. The number of licenses canceled due to drunk driving also increased by 23 percent in 2022. Last year, 13,043 ID cards were revoked for drunk driving; In 2021, that number was “only” 10,591.

TCS warns against leaving the vehicle if alcohol has been consumed, especially due to upcoming holidays. Consumption of even small amounts of alcohol seriously impairs driving ability and especially the ability to react, as well as attention and the ability to judge distances, giving a false sense of security.

Source: Blick