Dangerous trend

More drunk and drugged drivers every year

(Bild: Klemens Groh)

The number of drivers intoxicated with alcohol and especially drugs is increasing every year in Austria. The police are cracking down.

Be honest: have you ever gotten into your car after having one or two too many drinks? Almost everyone has at least toyed with the idea.

A Styrian had more than just the thought. Last Saturday, he got into his car with 1.5 per mille alcohol in his blood and crashed into the tractor of a farmer (47) near Stainz. The farmer was thrown out of the cab and suffered serious head injuries. On December 28, a man from Leogang (Salzburg) drove off the road with a blood alcohol level of 2.5.

Number of alcohol-related accidents on the rise
At least the 49-year-old did not "shoot down" any other road users. Accidents that would never have happened if the person causing the accident had not been drinking alcohol are not isolated cases, as the statistics of recent years show. According to Marion Seidenberger, the ÖAMTC has also recorded an increase in alcohol-related accidents.

Drug and alcohol drivers are consistently taken off the road. This is the focus of the control measures.

Innenminister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP)

More drunk drivers on the road every year
First of all: exact figures for drink and drug drivers and drivers impaired by medication will not be published until February. Nevertheless, a trend shows that - compared to 2023 - accidents caused by not keeping a safe distance or speeding have decreased. In contrast, there was an increase in accidents caused by carelessness/distraction (e.g. by cell phones) and accidents caused by alcohol and drugs. 6.9 percent of fatal crashes were caused by alcohol and drugs, compared to 4.2 percent in 2023. Last year there were 349 deaths, the lowest number since records began. However, the proportion of drink and drug drivers increased.

8227

This is the number of charges for drug driving on our roads in the whole of 2024. This means that an average of 22.5 people per day were hit before they could cause an accident. The number of alcohol-related charges has also been rising steadily for years.

Number of drug offenders has increased tenfold 
The trend for drivers under the influence of drugs is remarkable. In 2013, "only" 732 reports were filed throughout Austria. The number increased abruptly. In 2018, 3011 drivers had to "atone", in 2023 even 8676. There are probably several reasons for this: fashion drugs are in vogue.

However, the training courses offered by the Ministry of the Interior for its police officers on recognizing drug impairment, as well as joint focus campaigns with public health officers around parties, festivals and parties, are also having an effect. In 2024, there were 8,227 reports - a slight decrease compared to 2023, but the number of drug-related reports has increased tenfold in the last ten years. The number of alcohol checks is also likely to have risen again.

There was already an increase in alcohol tests from 2022 to 2023. In 2024, the zero-tolerance policy pursued by the police is likely to result in another significant increase.