As of: March 28, 2024, 10:01 a.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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After the devastating Flixbus accident on the A9 near Leipzig, resentment is boiling over: Are coaches dangerous? Accident statistics provide information.
Munich – At least four dead, six seriously injured and 29 slightly injured. The Flixbus accident on the A9 is far from being resolved and the cause is still pending.
Nevertheless, angry voices are already emerging: Flixbuses are repeatedly involved in accidents. An eerie coincidence is likely to reinforce this feeling: In 2019, there was an accident with a Flixbus just 14 kilometers from the current scene of the accident.
After an accident on the A9: Debate about safety on the Flixbus – “racing like crazy people”?
On X, many users make bad assumptions and a debate about security breaks out. “Is it possible that Flixbuses in particular are particularly often involved in accidents? In any case, I take cover on the highway when I see those notoriously speeding buses in the left lane. Maybe we should think about why this is and what we can do?" one asks. Another put it much more pointedly and wrote: “Do you know why they race like mental patients?” Another person apparently doesn’t feel completely comfortable on the Flixbus either. He says: “They often race as hard as they can.”
A possible reason for this impression: Buses in Germany are actually allowed to travel at a maximum speed of 80 km/h. However, an exception applies to buses that are designed for touring traffic. You can travel on the motorway at speeds of up to 100 km/h. Requirements for this: A seat with a seat belt for each passenger, no trailer and the appropriate registration. The bus must also be equipped with a maximum speed limiter, which means that turfing is technically not possible.
Flixbus refers to safety measures: “Beyond legal requirements” – nine fatal accidents in 2023
In order to bring clarity to the raging debate, we asked Flixbus. You act in an exemplary manner – at least according to your own statements. “The safety of our passengers and drivers is Flix’s top priority. “We work day and night to achieve this, investing in personnel, processes, the latest technical equipment and training,” the company wrote in response to a request from
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
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Specifically, Flix explains: “We have introduced many different safety measures, such as safety training for employees and drivers, two drivers on every night trip and a modern bus fleet with driving assistants such as lane keeping and brake assistants. In doing so, we go beyond the legal requirements.” Regulations on driving and rest times were also adhered to in the current case. “The driver on duty has been driving the bus since it left Berlin at 8 a.m.,” said a Flixbus spokesman at
Antenne Bayern
.
A total of nine fatal accidents occurred in Flix's global network in 2023. And that with 81 million passengers. The company emphasizes: “Every accident that has occurred and every single person injured is one too many. Despite strict safety measures, we unfortunately cannot completely prevent accidents.”
Fatal Flixbus accident on the A9: The images are devastating, but according to statistics, accidents with coaches are comparatively rare. © xcitepress/rico loeb/Imago
According to statistics, coaches are the safest means of road transport - but accidents usually result in a large number of injuries
So are coaches safe? Figures from the Federal Statistical Office speak for this. In 2023, there were 6,153 people injured in buses in traffic accidents in Germany. For comparison, 177,582 car users were injured in accidents during the same period. Even among e-scooter riders the number is higher than on buses (8317). What is striking, however, is that the number of bus injuries has been rising continuously since 2020 (4902 injuries). Overall, most injuries occur in accidents with public buses. However, if a coach has an accident, the number of people affected in the individual incident is usually very high.
Buses are statistically the safest form of road transport. But they can't keep up with the train. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 490 accidents in German rail traffic in 2022. This resulted in 927 accidents, including 154 seriously injured and eight dead.
(moe)