Around 2.5 million road traffic accidents occur in Germany every year. In 2023, 2,830 people died. Those who cause accidents come from all areas of society. But one group stands out in particular: If people over 75 are involved in an accident, they are almost 80 percent to blame – and are therefore a greater safety risk than novice drivers between the ages of 18 and 20, who are primarily responsible in around 70 percent of cases.
A tragedy at the weekend once again showed why the “driving license for life” can be fatal: In a serious traffic accident in Berlin on Saturday, an 83-year-old driver hit a 41-year-old and her four-year-old son in a stroller. The mother died shortly afterwards in the hospital, and the child died that same evening after an emergency operation. Two relatives witnessed the accident.
According to the statements, the 83-year-old man who caused the accident was traveling at excessive speed on Leipziger Straße in the direction of Potsdamer Platz. According to the police, when he approached waiting vehicles due to the traffic situation, he is said to have used the right-hand cycle lane to drive past the traffic jam. At the same time, the 41-year-old pedestrian and her four-year-old son wanted to cross the road.
The speed may have been “in the three-digit range,” reports “Spiegel,” citing the witnesses. However, only 30 kilometers per hour are allowed on the busy Leipziger Straße. However, further investigations would have to show whether the statements are true, according to a police spokeswoman. The car has been seized and an expert report will follow.
The age of the person who caused the accident could reignite the debate about testing the driving ability of older people. To date there is no such regulation. In the European Union, member states are allowed to decide for themselves whether to enact relevant laws. A suggestion: Anyone who is at least 70 years old should have a driving test every five years. Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) recently rejected this.
“I don’t want compulsory fitness tests for drivers over 70, and I’m confident that there won’t be a majority in the EU for that,” said Volker Wissing in 2023. He was against the fact that “the individual is increasingly being made into an object will have to undergo compulsory examinations and go about their everyday lives according to the regulations,” explained the FDP politician. That makes “our society more inhumane.” Instead, he trusts seniors to deal with their health without government regulations and bureaucratic control.
It remains questionable whether the traffic accident in Berlin could have been prevented if the 83-year-old driver’s fitness to drive had been tested beforehand. But one thing is certain: from a certain age, the risk of causing an accident increases – and with it the number of German accident deaths.
