Number of e-bikers involved in serious accidents continues to rise
Road accident statistics for the first half of 2020 show a further increase in the number of e-bikers involved in serious accidents. This continues the trend of recent years. Overall, however, the number of people involved in serious accidents (fatalities and serious injuries) continued to decline in the 1st half of 2020, as Astra writes.
According to the Federal Roads Office (Astra), a total of 19 more people died on Swiss roads in the first half of 2020 than in the same period of the previous year (2020: 95 people, 2019: 76 people, 2018: 102).
In contrast, the long-term downward trend in the number of people seriously injured continues: In the first half of 2020, 1614 people were seriously injured in road traffic, which is less than in the first half of the previous years (2019: 1687, 2018: 1778). On highways and freeways, the number of people seriously injured (killed and seriously injured) decreased more than on the rest of the road network.
Most frequent cause of accidents: speed
The most frequent cause of accidents among people involved in serious accidents is inappropriate speed. This is particularly noticeable among e-bikers involved in serious accidents, where more than 20 percent of the accidents caused by them are due to inappropriate speed. In the first half of 2019, this was still the case in 8 percent of the cases. The number of seriously injured e-bike riders rose from 148 to 207 people in the first half of 2020, while the number of e-bike riders killed fell from 7 to 6 people.
Compulsory lights and speedometer for fast e-bikes
In order to improve the safety of e-bike riders, the Federal Council submitted several measures for consultation in mid-August 2020, such as the introduction of mandatory lights for all e-bikes, mandatory helmets for slow e-bikes and mandatory speed limits for fast e-bikes.
Source: Astra
Click here for the Bfu guide with the five main tips for e-bikers.
The half-yearly statistics on road traffic accidents are based on FEDRO's Road Accident Information System. It records accidents reported by the police on public roads or squares involving at least one motorized or non-motorized vehicle or vehicle-like device. The results of the semi-annual statistics are provisional. The definitive figures will be published in spring 2021.
