Holidays are just around the corner, with friends and family getting together to celebrate. We still love to toast. But it can endanger our roads: alcohol is one of the four main causes of serious traffic accidents, along with carelessness, speeding and not giving way.
Although the number of people seriously injured after alcohol-related accidents has dropped by almost a quarter over the past decade, 11 percent of all serious traffic accidents can still be attributed to alcohol. After all, the slight increase from Corona 2020 could have been slowed down: the number of people seriously injured or killed at that time rose from 469 to 482 people. Last year, slightly fewer, with 462, were seriously injured or killed in drink-driving accidents.
Large Rostigraben
Accident statistics reflect Swiss alcohol consumption behavior: Most serious alcohol-related accidents occur at night on weekends, particularly in residential areas and on bends outside residential areas. Also, when it comes to drunk driving, a “Röstigraben” opens up: According to the TCS, the most serious accidents in the canton of Geneva occur under the influence of alcohol. There are 0.95 accidents for every 10,000 people. It is followed by Zug (0.92) and Jura (0.68) and Valais (0.60), two other cantons in western Switzerland.
Especially in the cantons of Zug and Jura, the accident rate has increased sharply compared to 2020. At that time it was 0.70 in the canton of Zug and 0.41 in the canton of Jura. In Valais, the rate dropped from 0.69 to 0.60, but fewer accidents had more tragic consequences: there were five fatal crashes attributable to alcohol on Valais roads last year. Three fatal accidents occurred in the canton of Vaud and two in Ticino. In 2021, Friborg, Graubünden, St. In the cantons of Gallen, Solothurn and Thurgau, fatal traffic accidents occurred under the influence of alcohol. At the other extreme are the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus and Obwalden. There was no serious alcohol-related traffic accident here in 2021.
How to get home safely?
Drivers should be aware that even a small amount of alcohol doubles the risk of an accident. Even a single glass has an impact on driving ability. The response is slower and the stopping distance is longer. While vision and concentration decrease, fatigue and the willingness to take risks increase at the same time. Also in the current season there are bad road conditions with rain, snow and even icing. You can safely go home with the following precautions:
- Legal zero tolerance for alcohol applies to new drivers. Even with a lot of driving experience, the principle proves its worth: if you drink, you don’t drive.
- Use public transport or taxis as an alternative to your own car. Choose the meeting point or adjust the range of drinks accordingly.
- Do not drink alcohol while taking medication.
- To hosts: Always have soft drinks ready. Let drunk people stay the night or arrange a taxi. In case of stubborn guests, also confiscate the car key if necessary.