Sad result: Highest number of wrong-way drivers in 15 years

This is a sharp increase of 54 reports or an increase of 14 percent compared to 2022. This is the largest value in 15 years, as Ö3 announced on Wednesday. In 2023, two people were killed in wrong-way driver accidents – in 2022 there were no deaths – eight people were seriously injured and 15 were slightly injured.

Only in the early 2000s were there more wrong-way drivers, with over 500 cases, according to statistics kept since 1994. The numbers fell from 2009 onwards; during the pandemic the numbers were even below 400 cases.

Strongest increase in Upper Austria

A total of 14 accidents occurred involving wrong-way drivers. That’s twice as many as the year before. Most of the crashes where the driver went in the wrong direction were in Lower Austria, followed by Carinthia, which has now overtaken Styria for the first time. The fewest wrong-way drivers are reported from Vienna. Upper Austria recorded the greatest increase in ghost driving. There were also increases in Carinthia, Styria, Salzburg, Vorarlberg and Vienna. There are fewer wrong-way drivers in Lower Austria, Tyrol and Burgenland.

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The most wrong-way driving was registered on the South Motorway (A2) with 73 reports, followed by the West Motorway (A1) and the Tauern Motorway (A10). As in the previous year, the “Wörthersee section” in Carinthia on the A2 between Klagenfurt and Villach is the motorway section with the most reports (23 wrong-way drivers). This section has been considered the section with the most wrong-way drivers since records began.

Greater Villach area as a “ghost driver hotspot”

The greater Villach area was once again considered a “ghost driver hotspot”. A total of 62 wrong-way drivers were counted on the A2, the A10, the A11 and at the Villach junction – that corresponds to 14 percent of all wrong-way drivers in the whole of Austria. In 2023, wrong-way drivers were reported most often in November (49 times), followed by December with 47 reports. The end of the year is therefore considered to be the busiest time of the year for wrong-way drivers. The fewest number of wrong-way drivers were counted in February, 30, reported Ö3.

As in previous years, there were more wrong-way drivers on the weekend of 2023 than on weekdays. The day of the week with the most wrong-way drivers is Saturday. During the day, the majority of wrong-way drivers are on the road in the early evening between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. The lowest risk of encountering a wrong-way driver remains in the morning hours between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Annual record on December 23rd

On December 23, 2023, on the Saturday before Christmas, the second highest daily value since records began was counted with eight wrong-way drivers. The previous all-time record is ten reports in one day. On three more days in 2023, the Ö3 traffic department will sound the wrong-way driver alarm five times.

The main reasons for wrong-way driving are the influence of alcohol and drugs, but also excessive demands and distraction. According to traffic psychologists, increased lack of concentration due to psychological problems due to personal and global crises may play a role.

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