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Eight people died on Austria’s roads last week

Eight people died on Austria’s roads last week

Five car drivers, two passengers and one driver of a small truck lost their lives during this period, as the Ministry of the Interior announced on Monday. According to preliminary statistics, 27 people died between the beginning of the year and January 29. In the same period of the previous year there were 20, in 2021 only ten people. At the weekend alone, five road users died in accidents. Five people were killed on a freeway last week and three on a country road. There were four dead in Lower Austria, three in Carinthia and one victim died in Styria. Inappropriate speed is suspected to be the main cause in two cases. Furthermore, violation of priority, disregard of prohibitions, overtaking and carelessness or distraction are considered causes. Two fatal incidents were single-vehicle accidents and three road fatalities were foreign nationals.

In a traffic accident involving several vehicles, three young men died on Saturday morning on the west autobahn (A1) near St. Pölten in the direction of Salzburg.

“Braking distance increases massively in snow and ice”

The Austrian Traffic Club (VCÖ) warned of a significantly longer braking distance on snowy roads in wintry conditions and warned drivers to drive more slowly and keep more distance. In addition, in these weather conditions, people should increasingly switch to public transport. More snowfall is forecast for this week.

“The braking distance increases massively in snow and ice. The rule of thumb is: Reduce the speed by half on snowy roads, keep a large safety distance and concentrate fully on the road, i.e. keep your hands off your cell phone while driving,” said VCÖ spokesman Christian Gratzer.

According to the VCÖ, at a speed of 50 km/h the stopping distance (reaction distance plus braking distance) increases almost threefold in winter driving conditions, from around 21 meters on a dry road to around 58 meters on a snowy road.

Source: Nachrichten

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