Accident rates: Stockholm is Europe’s safest capital.
In a long-term study, the Traffic Club Austria has checked Europe’s capitals for their traffic safety. The study takes account of the number of fatal accidents.
Low accident rates: The inhabitants of the Swedish capital Stockholm live in the safest European city. (Picture: pixabay)
Most car accidents with personal injuries happen in town. Whereas motorways are quite safe – statistically speaking –, most incidents occur in urban traffic, which – in comparison – is relatively slow. Reasons are obvious: The complex interaction of different road users implicates that the slightest carelessness might have serious consequences. However, the accident rates differ considerably from country to country. Moreover, a North-South divide is clearly observable.
In a long-term observation, the Traffic Club Austria has prepared a ranking of the safest cities in Europe and has investigated the most tragic casualties in urban traffic. The capitals of the countries, which normally also have the highest population density, have been studied.
Analysis of the accident rates over four years
In order to get a statistically meaningful result, the number of road users that have been killed in an accident has been calculated per 100,000 inhabitants. The total period from 2012 to 2015 has been assessed.
The result showed that Stockholm is the safest capital. Statistically speaking, the risk of dying there in urban traffic is 0.7/100,000 inhabitants. Vienna (1.1) and the German capital Berlin (1.2) follow at position two and three. At the end of the table, Nikosia in Cyprus (4.6), the Italian capital Rome (4.8) and the Croatian capital Zagreb (4.6) can be found. Here, it is more than eight times more likely to die in a car accident than in Stockholm (6.0 traffic fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants).
Read more: Digitalisation: Connected cars increase road safety
Rescue Sheet Saves Lives – Completely Analog
Modern safety technologies effectively reduce the risk of injury in traffic accidents. But if, in serious cases, occupants do become trapped in the vehicle, it can make their rescue more difficult. This is where the rescue sheet provides an important service – and it is still in analog form.
Your Data, Please!
Vehicle data is a well-guarded secret. The new European data law is intended to ensure transparency – and could raise police work when recording accidents in Europe to a new level. In the future, regulated access to vehicle data will also be essential for accident analysis and vehicle testing.
