Tragic alcohol accident: 25-year-old dies after head-on collision

Tragic alcohol accident: 25-year-old dies after head-on collision

A tragic traffic accident claimed the life of a 25-year-old woman from Pinkafeld on Friday evening in the Jennersdorf district, more precisely in the Rudersdorf municipality. How courier Reportedly, a 51-year-old man from the Jennersdorf district was traveling on the B65 towards Hungary when there was a head-on collision. The drunk driver drove onto the left side of the road and collided with the oncoming driver's car.

As a result of the impact, the young woman's car was thrown violently into the ditch and came to rest half on the embankment and half in the ditch. The 25-year-old was trapped in the vehicle and suffered serious injuries. The driver's car came to a stop about 120 to 150 meters in the opposite direction of travel. While the man only suffered minor injuries, the injured woman was taken to the accident hospital in Graz after receiving first aid and died there due to her serious injuries.

Alcohol-related accidents at record levels

This tragic incident fits into a worrying trend: The TÜV Association points out that 34,700 traffic accidents under the influence of alcohol were registered nationwide in 2024. This included 17,016 accidents that resulted in personal injuries – an increase of 8 percent compared to the previous year. On Ascension Day, also better known as Father's Day, 287 alcohol-related accidents were documented in a single day, more than any other day of the year TÜV association reported.

What is particularly alarming is that 39 percent of alcohol-related accidents resulting in personal injury were caused by car drivers. Cyclists are also not blameless, as 43 percent of alcohol-related accidents were caused by them. If you look at the numbers more closely, 33 percent of the cyclists affected were without an auxiliary motor, while 10 percent were riding Pedelecs. In addition, 8 percent of those involved in the accident were traveling on e-scooters.

There remains a need for action

The increasing number of accidents is a clear wake-up call for society. The TÜV Association urgently calls for a change in educational work regarding alcohol and mobility. The focus is currently heavily on motorized individual transport, while cyclists and e-scooter riders are often neglected. A variety of measures are therefore needed to reduce these alarming statistics, including increased police traffic enforcement and rigorous alcohol controls for cyclists.

In addition, the association advocates for tougher sanctions for drunk driving and suggests lowering the limit for ordering a medical-psychological examination from 1.6 to 1.1 per mille. This drastic measure would be crucial, as road users with a blood alcohol level of 1.1 or more are considered absolutely unfit to drive and are ten times more likely to have an accident.

In view of current events, it is clear that we still have a long way to go to combat drunk driving in the long term. The tragic accident in Burgenland is another example of the devastating consequences that alcohol consumption has while driving. It is hoped that such incidents can be prevented in the future.