Image: Weibold
The Interior Ministry reported on Tuesday. Only in 2013 had there been only one fatality since then. In the past three years, four people have died in road traffic over the Easter weekend. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, in 1976, the worst year to date, 39 road users had fatal accidents over the Easter weekend, and 17 people died in 2004. At Easter 2023, an 83-year-old lost his life in the Leibnitz district. A 46-year-old racing cyclist collided with the pedestrian on a priority road in the crossing area when he wanted to cross the open road. The 83-year-old died a little later in hospital.
In the entire Easter week since April 3, two fatal traffic accidents have been registered: Last Thursday, a 74-year-old car driver was run over by his own vehicle in Burgenland after he had got out to load work.
“The police officers who were on duty over the Easter weekend made a significant contribution to reducing the greatest sources of danger in road traffic through the ‘Operation Safe’,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). Above all, the presence in key actions is an important contribution to more safety, he thanked the emergency services.
The traffic volume was also below average on the Easter weekend due to the weather. This time there were only a few traffic jams on transit routes and main traffic routes, for example in ski areas, in construction sites and border sections.
According to preliminary data, 77 road deaths were counted on the Austrian road network from the beginning of the year to April 10, 2023. In the comparative period of 2022, there were 93, in 2021 56 people died, in 2020 76 fatalities were registered, and in the pre-Corona year 2019 there were 80 deaths.
Source: Nachrichten
