Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
As the new Düsseldorf Police Commissioner, I am presenting my authority's traffic accident report for the past year for the first time. The year 2023 was also characterized by a large number of police challenges in road safety work, both in the inner city area of the state capital and on the freeways in our area of responsibility. This was accompanied by labor-intensive and demanding work for the employees of my authority. In particular, the continued rise in heavy goods traffic on the freeways led to a significant increase in police incidents.
Although we were able to record a decrease in the number of people killed in road traffic accidents in the inner city area last year, nine people still lost their lives on Düsseldorf's roads. Nine fates that meant a great deal of suffering and pain for relatives and friends and also left their mark on the police and emergency services. We work hard every day to ensure that such tragedies are avoided. Every road fatality and every injured person is one accident victim too many.
It is particularly tragic when children are among the accident victims. The accidental death of a four-year-old boy who died last year in a collision with a public bus is a sad reminder that the trend in road accidents involving children is otherwise clearly on the decline, which reinforces our commitment to road accident prevention. The aim of every road user should be to be a role model for the youngest. It is particularly important for the most vulnerable that we all do our bit to treat each other with consideration in road traffic.
In 2023, we once again intensively monitored the issue of "alcohol and drugs in road traffic" with police checks in our area of responsibility. As a result, thousands of violations by drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs were detected, thereby averting the risk of traffic accidents.
On the freeways around Düsseldorf, so-called traffic jam accidents are currently a challenge for police road safety work. Last year, we recorded a significant increase in injuries and unfortunately also fatalities among truck drivers in accidents at the end of traffic jams. Alongside distraction, lack of distance is one of the main causes of accidents. In addition to trucks, which significantly increase the risk of injury in road accidents due to their mass alone, speed on freeways continues to be of considerable importance for road safety. Keeping your distance, paying attention and driving at a low speed can save lives. An appeal addressed to all drivers.
For the year 2024, I wish us all significantly fewer injuries and fatalities on the roads; a wish that includes you being safe on the roads. Always remain attentive and considerate.
Best regards
Miriam Brauns