Head of town complains:

This is how dangerous road traffic is for children

Mayor Doris Dirnberger is annoyed by the growing number of speeders in her municipality of Gratwein-Straßengel.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Two children have already lost their lives in road accidents in Styria this year, and more than 300 have been injured. Many communities are pushing for stronger safety measures - mainly due to the increasing ignorance of drivers, according to the subjective perception of many.

Open communication and diversity of opinion are important to Doris Dirnberger. However, there has been almost only one topic in her consultation hours for some time now: "A striking number of residents come to talk about the increasing number of speeding drivers and the associated concerns," says the mayor of Gratwein-Straßengel.

In the fairly large municipality north of Graz with its almost 13,000 inhabitants, there are several danger spots on the roads, reports Dirnberger. Bahnhofstraße would be the biggest problem child here, as many children frequent the road: "There is currently a 50 km/h restriction there. But hardly anyone sticks to it any more. As a municipal road crosses a state road here, we have little room for maneuver as a municipality in terms of measures," reports the head of the town.

Making the route to school as safe as possible for children is a key concern for many mayors.(Bild: ©Stephan_Doleschal)

The majority of accidents in the local area
362 children were injured on the roads in Styria last year, one of them fatally. This year, two children have already lost their lives in our province. "Two thirds of these accidents occur in built-up areas," reports Katharina Jaschinsky from the Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ). According to the statistics, the second most dangerous way for children to die is on foot or by bike, followed by scooters/running bikes.

Given the current situation, experts are urging a whole raft of measures: "Sufficiently wide sidewalks and cycle paths, clear road crossings and more traffic calming would be important," says Jaschinsky.

School crossing guards and warning signs
The deployment of school crossing guards at particularly critical points in the municipality of Gratwein-Straßengel is intended to prevent worse things from happening. Just recently, "Brake-you-in" posts were added at the side of the road before school started - the municipality can't do much more: "These reflect at dusk and in the dark - that's something," says the mayor.

Her greatest wish: her own pedestrian traffic lights. "There have already been talks about this with the state and other responsible parties." However, implementation is time-consuming, as inspections or traffic counts are necessary for such a measure. "The best thing would be for drivers to stick to the speed limit. I don't understand this kind of behavior - it's about the safety of our children, it's a very important issue and everyone has to understand that."

Report danger spots
The VCÖ would also like to work with the public to identify danger spots on the way to school. Problem spots can be entered on an online map until October 31. More than 260 such points in a total of 55 Styrian municipalities have been registered so far, and the VCÖ will then forward all entries to the responsible municipalities.