Tragic accident brought 0.5 alcohol limit in road traffic

In 1998 there were 2,217 alcohol-related accidents on Austria’s roads, killing 82 and injuring 3,113. Precise data for 2022 are not yet available, but preliminary statistics from the Ministry of the Interior state that 18 of the fatal accidents in 2022 (5.2 percent) were due to alcohol.

In 2021 there were 2,348 alcohol and drug accidents, which means that 7.2 percent of all accidents fell into this group. This was a significant increase compared to 2020 with a total of 2,081 alcohol-related accidents and corresponded to the highest proportion of alcohol-related accidents since accidents were recorded electronically in 1992, Statistics Austria reported. The Board of Trustees for Road Safety (KFV) also looked at the degree of alcohol consumption. More than half of alcohol accidents are caused by drivers with a blood alcohol content of more than 1.2. In alcohol accidents in 2021, 33.86 percent had more than 1.6 per thousand, 18.5 percent between 1.2 and 1.6 per thousand. 10.3 percent of those involved in alcohol accidents had a blood alcohol concentration of between 0.5 and 0.8.

According to Armin Kaltenegger, Head of the Law and Standards department at KFV, it is striking that accidents involving alcoholics with a low degree of alcohol consumption have decreased since 2012. In the case of heavily intoxicated drivers, on the other hand, there is no decrease, but rather a slight increase. In 2012, 778 accidents were caused by road users with a blood alcohol level of more than 1.6, in 2021 there were a total of 795 accidents. In comparison, in 2012 a total of 290 traffic accidents were caused by drunks with 0.5 to 0.8 per thousand, in 2021 there were 242 with this degree of alcoholization. A look at the statistics also shows that accidents are caused much more frequently by heavily intoxicated people, i.e. those with a blood alcohol content of more than 1.2. In the previous year, 343 accidents were caused by people with a blood alcohol content of 0.8 to 1.2 and 544 by people with a blood alcohol content of 1.2 to 1.6.

Alcoholics show little insight

This indicates that heavily intoxicated drivers tend to show little insight. Heavy drinkers don’t really care about the limit, so to speak. Their drinking behavior does not seem to change even if the blood alcohol limit is lowered. “It no longer helps to control them, it must be practically impossible for them to start a vehicle,” said Kaltenegger. He called for the introduction of “alcohol immobilizers” or “alcolocks” for this dangerous minority of unteachable drivers. Alcohol immobilizers are so effective because they prevent drunk driving in advance and do not only punish afterwards.

Alcohol locks have already existed in Austria. On September 1, 2017, the Alternative Probation System (ABS) came into force – limited to five years: Persons whose driving license was revoked for at least four months due to an alcohol offense were given the opportunity by participating in this pilot project and installing a Alcohol immobilizer in the car to get back their category B (and BE) driving license faster than originally planned. In this way, driving under the influence of alcohol and, at the same time, the loss of a job due to a driver’s license being revoked should be prevented. 655 men and 98 women took part in the Samaritans’ pilot project. However, the probation system for alcohol drivers was canceled by the Ministry of Transport last year without replacement.

years of discussion

The lowering of the blood alcohol limit in 1998 was preceded by years of discussion, and only a serious alcohol accident brought about the change. The KFV had already demanded this years before the limit of 0.5 per thousand. In 1992 there was support for this from the then President of the National Council and later Federal President Heinz Fischer, as well as from the then Minister of Transport Viktor Klima (SPÖ). As early as 1993, every second Austrian spoke out in favor of the 0.5 per mille limit in a survey. In 1994, the then traffic spokesman for the Greens, Rudi Anschober, announced that he was in favor of lowering the blood alcohol limit. The SPÖ coalition partner ÖVP was against it.

In 1997 the debate about reducing blood alcohol levels came up again. Again, an SPÖ Minister of Transport – at that time Caspar Einem – spoke out in favor of it. The majority of EU countries were also in favor of it at the time. But only the tragic death of three students led to the reduction from 0.8 to 0.5 per mille. Classmates from Baden who lost their three colleagues in a traffic accident involving a drunk driver significantly accelerated the rethinking process. Among other things, they initiated a rally in front of Parliament. “Hardly any traffic law norm caused more turbulence when it was introduced than this alcohol limit,” recalled Kaltenegger. Only at the third attempt within three years was a corresponding amendment to the law passed in the National Council on December 12, 1997 with a clear majority of the SPÖ, ÖVP, Liberales Forum (LIF) and the Greens. In the previous years, two attempts to lower the blood alcohol limit failed because of the ÖVP-FPÖ majority.

“Disability is increasing dramatically”

However, the discussion about the blood alcohol reduction also had an impact. “General prevention very often occurs before the law officially comes into force,” said Kaltenegger. He emphasized that the difference in alcohol levels between 0.5 and 0.8 per mille was crucial, “the impairment increases dramatically”. The number of damages to bystanders is particularly high in alcohol accidents, emphasized Kaltenegger. He recalled the fatal traffic accident on the Vienna Belt, where just last week an intoxicated 25-year-old hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk. The 47-year-old passer-by was fatally injured. The 25-year-old had 0.5 per thousand.

Drunk driving was widespread and accepted in Austria up to the end of the 1950s. It was not until 1955 that Austria made it possible to revoke a driver’s license if the driver’s ability to drive was impaired. Clear limits followed from 1961 with the establishment of the 0.8 per thousand. The 0.8 per mille limit still applies to cyclists.