Over the past five years, the number of fatal road accidents in Switzerland has risen by 34 percent, while the European average fell by 12 percent during the same timeframe.
This is what emerges from new data published by the Accident Prevention Bureau (BFU) on November 4th.
“No other European country has experienced such a dramatic increase during this period,” the BFU said, adding that “to date, Switzerland has not managed to reverse this trend and halt the rise in fatal accidents.”
Why does Switzerland have such as poor road safety record?
Lawmakers are to blame for these tragedies, the BFU noted.
“Road safety is suffering from parliamentary decisions. For example, following the lowering of the minimum age for riding a motorcycle, the number of serious accidents among motorcyclists under the age of 18 has more than doubled,” it said.
The organisation is referring to a 2021 legislation which lowered the minimum age for driving a motorcycle to 15 or 16 – depending on the vehicle’s horsepower.
“We already knew at that time that teenagers on motorcycles have a particularly high risk of accidents,” the BPU said.
Unfortunately, that prediction has proven to be correct.
“Since the minimum age was reduced, the number of accidents has increased considerably,” the organisation said, pointing out that “each year, 135 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 are involved in serious motorcycle accidents, and four lose their lives.”
By comparison, the annual average for the three years preceding the legal change was 51 teenagers seriously injured in motorcycle accidents and one fatality.
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But that is not all
Another example of the “legislative failure: “the rejection of making bicycle helmets mandatory.”
Wearing a helmet is not obligatory in Switzerland because introducing such a requirement was deemed to discourage cycling, particularly among young people.
In fact, the Cycla Alliance, an umbrella group for the country’s biking organisatons had lobbied in the parliament not to pass the law making helmets mandatory for cyclists under 16 years of age.
They argued – successfully, as it turned out – that “introducing a state mandate is disproportionate. Furthermore, making helmets mandatory for young people could lead to a decrease in cycling, which would run counter to current efforts to encourage cycling. The Cycla Alliance therefore calls on you to oppose mandatory helmet use.”
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What does the BPA recommend?
It is asking elected officials to “evaluate and regularly improve road safety policy based on clear indicators and measurable objectives” – in other words, take into account traffic fatalities when creating and passing corresponding laws.