Motorcyclist seriously injured: tragic accident on the B5!

Motorcyclist seriously injured: tragic accident on the B5!

On October 31st, as a recent accident report could report, a serious traffic accident occurred on Federal Highway 5 in the municipality of Gumtow, in which a 58-year-old motorcyclist fell badly. At 2:45 p.m. the biker was heading towards Perleberg when a 48-year-old Audi driver who wanted to drive out of a parking lot onto the street overlooked him. The result was a violent collision that ultimately sent the motorcyclist to hospital with serious but fortunately non-life-threatening injuries. Both vehicles, a motorcycle and an Audi, then had to be towed away, which temporarily closed the B5 completely during the investigation and rescue work. The damage is estimated at around 10,000 euros. Police have launched an investigation into negligent bodily harm, which is not atypical when it comes to such traffic accidents. According to Nordkurier, the police and emergency services were quickly on the scene.

How is safety on our roads?

The statistics would like to give us a clear picture. In 2024, there were around 2.5 million road traffic accidents in Germany, although the number fell slightly compared to the previous year. This shows that despite the ever-increasing volume of traffic, some progress has been made in road safety. But the goal remains: “Vision Zero”, i.e. no traffic deaths by 2050. Statistics currently show that Germany had around 33 traffic deaths per million inhabitants in 2024, which is a significant improvement compared to the 19,193 deaths in 1970, even if the downward trend has slowed since the early 2010s. According to Destatis, comprehensive and current data helps to better understand the causes and consequences of traffic accidents and to develop appropriate measures.

Traffic accidents and their causes

A look at the most common causes of traffic accidents shows alarming trends. Sufficient distance and appropriate speed are two massive factors that repeatedly lead to accidents. In 2024, alcohol-related accidents were responsible for 40% of injuries, i.e. 198 deaths and 17,776 injuries. And it's not just cars that are affected: the number of accidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters is also increasing noticeably, with over 26,000 injured in the last statistics.

Wildlife accidents and fog also contribute to the accident rate, with 2,412 wildlife accidents and 298 accidents in fog last year, showing that driving in poor visibility poses particular risks. What is clear is that human factors such as inattention are often the main cause. This is the key to improving road safety, as Statista points out.

Current developments in road safety show that, despite challenges, great effort is required to make roads safer. Education, better infrastructure and increased awareness among road users are needed more than ever in order to get a little closer to Vision Zero. It is to be hoped that accidents such as the one in Gumtow continue to be dealt with quickly by emergency services as we as a society continue to work to improve safety on our roads.