In 2023, there were the lowest number of fatalities from traffic accidents in the past ten years on the streets of Munich. There were a total of twelve fatal accidents, each of which killed one person. In 2022, 22 people died in 21 accidents; in 2014 there were 29 deaths in 28 accidents. Munich Police Vice President Michael Dibowski announced this on Friday when presenting the traffic accident balance for 2023.
Despite the low number, Dibowski said each of the deaths was one death too many and reiterated the goal of achieving zero traffic fatalities by 2050 at the latest. He pointed out that eight of the twelve fatalities were “unprotected road users”, i.e. pedestrians or cyclists. One person died on a motorcycle and three in cars. Nine victims, or three quarters, were older than 65 years. Three of the four dead cyclists were not wearing helmets.
The most sensational fatal accident occurred at Leonrodplatz in July: a 22-year-old driver tried to evade a police stop by fleeing because he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and did not have a driver’s license. At the intersection of Dachauer/Schwere-Reiter-Straße he drove through a red light at far too high speed, collided with an oncoming car and hurled himself into a tram stop and two 18-year-olds waiting there. One of the two died at the scene of the accident, the other survived with serious injuries. The driver is now waiting for his criminal trial in the regional court.
In total, 48,462 traffic accidents occurred in the area of responsibility of the police headquarters – i.e. the city and district of Munich – in 2023. This is a slight increase of 3.3 percent compared to the previous year. On average it crashes every eleven minutes. However, around half of the incidents recorded by the police are “minor accidents” with minor property damage and no major offenses.
The number of accidents involving cyclists remained roughly the same; it was 3479 (2022: 3475). 3,174 cyclists were injured, 288 of them seriously. Around 30 percent of accidents between a cyclist and at least one other road user were caused by the cyclist.
The number of accidents caused by alcohol or drugs fell slightly, from 631 to 620. However, in 76 of 446 accidents involving an e-scooter, the driver was drunk. 1,102 e-scooter drivers were caught under the influence of alcohol without an accident, and 236 had consumed drugs.
The police recorded 197,877 speeding violations, which led to 62,503 reports, 4,144 driving bans and 135,374 warnings. The record holder is a then 30-year-old man: In March 2023, he drove a 510 hp BMW on Ingolstädter Straße in Milbertshofen at 157 km/h, even though only 50 is allowed there. That cost him a fine of 1,600 euros, two points in Flensburg and a three-month driving ban.
The Munich traffic police have set speed and alcohol checks as a focus for 2024, as well as monitoring the cell phone ban and cycling safety.