A new report by the Advice Centre for Accident Prevention (BFU) has revealed the number of serious road accidents in Switzerland increased in 2021. Most accidents were blamed on mobile phones and people having conversations while driving.
According to the BFU’s latest safety barometer, the number of people seriously injured during road accidents in Switzerland increased in 2021. According to the centre, this “reverses a trend in road safety,” as the number of serious incidents in the alpine nation had been on the decline for the past few years.
In 2021, 3.933 people were admitted to Swiss hospitals with serious injuries after a traffic incident, a rise of 3,6 percent from the year before. 200 people lost their lives on Swiss roads and motorways last year.
According to the BFU, there was a rise in the number of collisions involving pedestrians, e-scooters and speed-restricted electric bikes. The organisation noted that Switzerland’s cyclist mortality rate is higher than that in 50 percent of European nations.
People over the age of 75 and motorcyclists younger than 17 were found to be the most common groups to suffer a serious accident. The BFU explained that 15-year-olds are allowed to drive motorcycles and scooters capable of speeds of up to 45 kilometres per hour, sometimes without a helmet, which is why their rate of injury is so high.
According to media outlet Keystone-SDA, the main reason for accidents in Switzerland is drivers talking to other people, be it in the car or on a mobile phone. 50 percent of accidents involving pedestrians and 33 percent of driver collisions were caused by drivers being distracted by talking.
Concluding their report, the BFU said that there was huge room for improvement in people's attitudes on the roads, as 30 percent of e-bike riders still do not wear a helmet and one in 10 people do not wear a seatbelt when sitting in the back seat of a car. The association said that everyone, from the government to individuals, must work together to make sure Swiss roads are safe for everyone.