2.782 passengers and drivers died in car crashes across Germany in 2022, with fatal accidents on the rise since vehicles have returned to the autobahn post-pandemic.

Fatal road accidents increase in Germany

The pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 saw most cars in Germany confined to the driveway. But during 2022, the year when the heights of the pandemic drew to a close and drivers returned to the autobahn and roads en masse, the number of people who lost their lives in car accidents in Germany has risen by 9 percent on the previous year.

This is according to new data from Destatis, which also revealed that the number of people injured in car accidents rose in 2022 compared to the previous year. Last year 358.000 people in Germany were injured in a car accident, 11 percent more than in 2021. However, the number of injured people still remains less than before the outbreak of coronavirus.

Cyclists among the most vulnerable to traffic accidents

Travel restrictions, the introduction of working from home and homeschooling meant that in 2021, the number of people killed in traffic accidents sank to historic lows.

The Destatis data assesses incidents from January to November of each year and also reveals which group is most vulnerable to fatal traffic accidents. In 2022, the number of e-bike riders killed in accidents rose by a harrowing 60 percent compared to 2021. For cyclists riding non-motorised bicycles, the death rate rose by 14 percent.

Pedestrians are another vulnerable group, with the number of deaths rising by 11 percent. Deaths among drivers were up by 7 percent and motorbike riders by 2 percent.

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