Over 42% of alcohol accidents have serious consequences, most of them in Prague
Updates: 12/9/2021 1:20 PM
Released: 9.12.2021, 13:20
Prague – More than 42 percent of accidents under the influence of alcohol result in injury or death of accident participants, and property damage is 30 percent higher. According to statistics, most clashes involving alcohol and drugs take place at major Prague crossroads. Southwest Moravia and western Bohemia are among the most risky areas in terms of the consequences of accidents. This follows from the current data of the Accident Portal server and the Czech Insurers’ Bureau (ČKP). According to experts, alcohol accidents are more common during Advent and the Christmas holidays.
According to police statistics, a total of 289,704 traffic accidents occurred on Czech roads between 2019 and 2021, with alcohol accounting for 5.1 percent of them. “Unfortunately, drivers with alcohol in their blood did not only cause material damage, but in these accidents there were 5,579 minor injuries and 669 serious injuries. Petr Jedlička. In addition to alcohol, drug-related drivers are increasingly to blame for accidents. They caused 262 last year and 302 accidents in the first 11 months of accidents this year.
According to the CCP analysis, the most risky areas with the highest share of accidents under the influence of alcohol in the total number traditionally include the areas of southwestern Moravia and western Bohemia, especially the Pilsen region. According to statistics, every eighth accident in the Plzeň-North district occurred under the influence of alcohol, while the national average is every twentieth accident. Of the districts, Jindřichův Hradec, Klatovy, Tachov and Znojmo are also particularly risky, where the share of accidents under the influence of alcohol exceeds ten percent of all investigated accidents.
“If we look at the absolute number of accidents caused by drivers with alcohol or drugs in their blood, according to the Portal, crossroads and their surroundings in large cities, especially in Prague, Pilsen and Ostrava, clearly dominate,” said Jan Chalas of DataFriends, the operator Accident portal.
According to the CCP, the average amount of damage in accidents caused by alcohol is higher than in the case of accidents by sober drivers. “In 2020, when the volume of damages was already relatively stable, the average amount of CZK 125,000 in accidents caused by alcohol was CZK 30,000, which is 30 percent higher than the average liability of CZK 96,000 in accidents where alcohol was not present. amount, “Jedlička said.
Experts point out that under the influence of addictive substances, drivers behave differently than a sober person would behave. They concentrate less, have slower reactions, lose judgment, risk more, and some are more aggressive. “It is no wonder that the causes of accidents caused by drivers at high-risk areas include red light, failure to keep a safe distance behind the vehicle, failure to drive fully, failure to give way from lane to lane or failure to give way. Chalas added.