Accident figures could rise again
Without further road safety efforts, the number of seriously and fatally injured road users is likely to stagnate or even rise again. This trend is already apparent among vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and e-bike riders, according to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu).
Accident prevention in Switzerland is a success story. Swiss roads are among the safest in the world. This top position was achieved with improved infrastructure and safer vehicles, but also through behavioral prevention, as the bfu emphasizes.
However, the first negative changes were seen in vulnerable road users, such as the SINUS Report 2017 (Safety Level and Accident Incidence in Road Traffic), which is published annually by the bfu. For cyclists, e-bikers and pedestrians, the road safety situation is coming to a head.
E-bike riders: tripling of accidents
In 2016, 854 cyclists were seriously injured and 24 died on Swiss roads. There has been no improvement in this regard for ten years, and the number of serious accidents has even risen slightly during this time to 0.4%. Among e-bike riders, the number of serious accidents has even tripled since 2011. According to the bfu, one reason for this is that e-bikes are becoming increasingly popular. The number of accidents involving pedestrians has also risen in the short term. According to 2016 statistics, 2.1% more serious accidents occurred here than in the previous year.
A challenge for the coming years
Accident prevention will remain a challenge in the coming years. The bfu concludes that the focus will be on the high-quality and complete implementation of the Via sicura road safety package, the continuous improvement of road infrastructure and the exploitation of the safety potential of driver assistance systems.
The CH regulations relevant to traffic safety are here to find.
