Bus accident near Leipzig
Four people die on the Flixbus. Investigators are now looking for the cause of the accident
Undertakers carry a victim of the crashed bus from the scene of the accident on the A9 near Leipzig
© Jan Woitas / DPA
After the accident with deaths and injuries on the A9 near Leipzig, shock and sadness remain – and many questions. One of them: How safe are long-distance buses actually as a means of transport?
After the serious bus accident with four deaths and over 30 injuries on Autobahn 9 Leipzig is now focusing on the investigation into the cause of the accident. “First of all, numerous witness interviews have to be carried out. This will of course take some time,” said a police spokeswoman.
The double-decker Flixbus left the road on Wednesday morning, raced across the grass verge and tipped over on its side. The police spoke of four dead, six seriously injured and 29 people with minor injuries. The identification of the dead was not yet completed on Wednesday.
The bus started in Berlin with more than 50 passengers
According to the bus company, the driver of the bus is said to have adhered to all driving and rest times. “There were two drivers on board, the driver on duty had been driving the bus since it left Berlin at 8 a.m.,” it said. According to police, he is not among the dead. Details about his health were not given.
The bus with more than 50 passengers and two drivers had an accident on the way from Berlin to Zurich. He set off at 8 a.m. and the accident happened at around 9:45 a.m. between the Wiedemar junction and the Schkeuditzer Kreuz. According to initial findings, no other vehicle was probably involved. The A9, an important north-south route between Berlin and Munich, was completely closed around the accident site for twelve hours – until around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
Bus accident near Leipzig: How safe are coaches?
There have been a number of serious coach accidents in recent years. Nevertheless, buses are among the comparatively safe means of transport. According to accident statistics, they are comparatively rarely involved in traffic accidents with personal injuries.
“Nevertheless, cases in which accidents occur are often dramatic because the number of people affected can be high,” said an ADAC spokesman. According to the information, a total of eight people died in bus accidents inside and outside towns in 2022 – a number that is not unusual in long-term comparison.
The ADAC referred to the requirement to wear seat belts in coaches since 1999. “It is not possible to understand whether and how individual companies check whether passengers are wearing seatbelts,” said the spokesman. Bus travelers are generally advised to fasten their seatbelts. In addition, according to ADAC, coaches must be equipped with a so-called lane departure warning system since 2022. It was initially not known whether the bus that crashed had one. Such a system warns the driver, but does not prevent the driver from actually leaving the road if they do not countersteer.