Almost one in five drives a car under the influence of alcohol

In Switzerland, more than 1 million people are injured in non-occupational accidents every year, and more than 2000 die as a result. In STATUS, the statistics on non-occupational accidents and safety levels in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Accident Prevention Bureau (BFU) publishes figures every year not only on accidents but also on behavior and attitudes. This year's STATUS contains a weighty novelty: for the first time, a survey on attitudes and behavior in road traffic was conducted in 17 European countries. As part of this ESRA project (European Survey Of Road Users' Safety Attitudes), 1000 people per country were surveyed. Thanks to a uniform system, comparisons can be made between the countries and best practices for accident prevention can be derived.

Alcohol in blood

The figures from Switzerland are particularly worrying in the area of drinking and driving: 17 percent of Swiss respondents state that they have been on the road at least once in the last 30 days with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.5 per mille. In a European comparison, this is the third highest value. Only Belgium (18 %) and France (22 %) are higher. Furthermore, the ESRA survey shows that measures against drinking and driving, e.g. 0.0 per mille for all drivers, are far less supported by Swiss than the European average.

Phone at the wheel and speeders
For the most part, Swiss drivers behave in a similar way to their European neighbors: For example, the proportion of those who have made a phone call while driving in the past year is the same as in other European countries. While self-declared speeding in built-up areas is slightly lower, the Swiss share of speeding outside built-up areas or on freeways is slightly higher in a European comparison.