9 out of 10 fatal accidents involving alcohol are caused by men
In 2023, drink-driving caused 25 fatal accidents. In 22 of these accidents, a man was responsible at the wheel, in only 3 accidents was a woman driving. This overrepresentation of men can also be observed in accidents with serious injuries. At cantonal level, Geneva recorded the highest number of serious alcohol-related accidents per 10,000 inhabitants for the seventh year in a row. In view of the upcoming holidays, the TCS reminds people that they must choose between drinking and driving.
With 25 alcohol-related deaths, 2023 was a sad year on Swiss roads. The number corresponds to the trend of the past ten years. In 22 of these accidents, i.e. 88 percent, a man was the cause, while 3 accidents were caused by women. This overrepresentation of men is also found in accidents with serious injuries. Of the 411 serious accidents under the influence of alcohol in 2023, 349 were caused by men and 62 by women. This corresponds to a male share of 84.91 %.
Geneva remains the leader in Switzerland
The canton of Geneva still has the highest number of serious alcohol-related accidents on its roads, with 1.09 accidents per 10,000 inhabitants in 2023. This rate is still strikingly high compared to the Swiss average of 0.49 - twice as high, to be precise. The canton has led this statistic since 2017: There were 0.76, 0.81, 1.00, 1.01, 0.95 and 1.04 serious accidents per 10,000 inhabitants in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Geneva is followed in 2023 by Ticino with 0.73 serious accidents per 10,000 inhabitants, Basel-Stadt (0.66), Vaud (0.64), Valais (0.62), Fribourg (0.60) and Neuchâtel (0.57). In the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Vaud and Fribourg, this proportionality has increased compared to 2022, when it was 0.51, 0.57 and 0.52 respectively. It fell in Ticino (2022: 0.80) and Neuchâtel (0.62) and remained stable in Valais.
In addition to Basel-Stadt, Vaud and Fribourg, the accident rate with seriously injured victims per 10,000 inhabitants also increased in Uri with 0.54 (compared to 0.00 in 2022), Schwyz with 0.49 (0.37), Lucerne with 0.45 (0.38), Aargau with 0.39 (0.30), Zurich with 0.31 (0.27) and Basel-Landschaft with 0.31 (0.14).
Appenzell Innerrhoden records no serious accidents
Appenzell Innerrhoden sets a very good example: in 2023, there were no serious alcohol-related accidents on the canton's roads. Other cantons with only a few serious accidents per 10,000 inhabitants are Schaffhausen with 0.12, Zug with 0.23, Obwalden with 0.26, Jura with 0.27 and Graubünden with 0.30. In this context, it should be noted that due to the relatively small number of inhabitants in these cantons, one accident more or less has a major impact on the annual statistics.
Vaud counts the most deaths
In absolute figures, alcohol caused the most deaths on the roads in the canton of Vaud, where there were five fatal accidents in 2023. This was followed by the cantons of Bern, Geneva and Zurich with four fatal accidents each, and Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Valais with two fatal accidents each. One fatal accident was recorded in each of the cantons of St. Gallen and Ticino. In total, there were fatal accidents under the influence of alcohol in 9 of the 26 Swiss cantons.
Source: TCS
