Tempo 30 saves lives: ADFC Recalls Victims of Traffic Accidents

Last year, around 1,200 people were injured in about 9,000 traffic accidents in Wiesbaden. More than 100 people suffered such serious injuries that they were hospitalized. Among the seriously injured were three children. About half of those seriously injured were on foot or by bicycle. Two people were killed in traffic accidents, according to police statistics*.

Over the past few years, there has been a trend towards fewer serious injuries overall, which could be partly attributed to measures to calm traffic. Unfortunately, this trend is not evident among cyclists. The more frequent use of the bicycle and the still insufficient cycling infrastructure are probably the cause.

Behind all the accident numbers is the suffering of the victims, their relatives as well as the psychological stress of first responders and emergency workers. Many are sadly reminded of the fate of a woman who waited with her bike at a traffic light in Schierstein in September when a driver lost control of his vehicle. A white ghost wheel set up by the ADFC is reminiscent of the deceased.

The Bicycle Club is therefore committed to ‘Vision Zero’, a transport world in which no one is killed or seriously injured by an accident. An important building block for this is Tempo 30. Lower speeds shorten the stopping distance and significantly reduce the severity of accident consequences. Even today, motorists can contribute to this by voluntarily reducing their speed and paying special attention to people who are on foot or by bike.

With its information stand on 14 November on the "World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims" in Neugasse, the ADFC wants to remind the victims of road accidents and raise awareness that road safety concerns everyone. Because every human life deserves the protection of all of us.

*Source of accident figures: Wiesbaden Police Directorate, traffic accident statistics since 2018.

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