Fatal accidents at tram stops: Munich residents discuss safety!

Fatal accidents at tram stops: Munich residents discuss safety!

Traffic accidents at bus stops are a serious problem in Germany that repeatedly comes into the public eye. The incident on May 7, 2023 at the Donnersbergerstrasse tram stop in Munich was particularly tragic. An SUV driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a bus shelter at high speed, resulting in several serious injuries. Among the injured were a 22-year-old student and a 79-year-old woman from Munich, who died from their injuries a few days after the accident. Such tragic events raise the question of safety at tram and bus stops, as sueddeutsche.de reports.

The discussion about safety measures has been reignited because of the frequency of accidents at bus stops. In Germany, thousands of road users are injured every year - in 2018 alone, 4,130 injuries were reported in 3,294 accidents with personal injuries. 46 people died and 815 were seriously injured. And this despite the fact that many of these accidents, often caused by excessive speed or inattention, take place at inner-city stops, as the UDV states. Later analyzes show that accidents at bus stops are often underrepresented in the statistics.

Danger zones analyzed

The new UDV study examines how traffic safety can be improved at different types of stops. What is particularly alarming is that bus stop areas have higher accident densities than the “open route”. Behavioral analyzes at 102 sub-stops showed that many pedestrians cross the road during small time gaps, especially at stops without safe waiting areas. Conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians often occur, especially in tram stops, which further endanger safety.

In order to improve the safety situation, experts recommend, among other things, placing crossing aids close to the stopping position and appropriately dimensioning bicycle traffic facilities. Parking in the immediate vicinity of stops should also be restricted in order to better protect pedestrians. These measures could help reduce the number of accidents and thus increase safety for all road users.

Political reactions and structural changes

The latest accidents are also affecting politics. Munich's third mayor, Dominik Krause, emphasizes the urgent need to strengthen security measures. However, he also points out legal restrictions that must be taken into account when implementing measures. A positive example is the redesigned Romanplatz in Nymphenburg. Here, the safety standards for waiting people have been significantly increased through concrete structural changes.

The discussion about safety at stops is urgent and necessary. A serious accident in Leipzig in which three people died in March 2021 stated the same thing. Such incidents underline the need to put road safety, particularly in local public transport, on a solid basis in order to increase passenger confidence. The question remains: How many more tragic stories do we have to hear before we take the necessary steps?

The statistics speak for themselves and are a call to quickly implement the urgently needed measures to improve safety at bus stops. After all, it's about the lives of people who rely on public transport, and every accident is one too many.