Luxembourg's road safety record has taken a worrisome turn, as the number of fatalities on the roads increased in 2022.

36 people lost their lives in accidents, reflecting a decline in road safety. Minister for Mobility François Bausch admitted that 2022 "has probably been the worst year since I've been presenting these figures."

The Ministry of Mobility acknowledges the "worrying situation" with 12 more deaths recorded compared to the previous year. Motorcyclists account for nearly a third of all fatalities.

It should be noted that the number of seriously injured victims has remained stable, while the count of slightly injured individuals has risen by 17%.

The primary cause of road accidents, as revealed by statistics compiled by the Ministry, continues to be speed, which shows a slight upward trend. Speeding accounts for 25% of injuries and a significant 31% of fatalities.

Another prevalent contributing factor to the alarming statistics is alcohol consumption. However, Bausch said that there are currently no plans to lower the legal limit from 0.5 ‰ to 0.0‰ since there have been cases involving motorists driving with over 2‰. "If people adhere to the legal limit, many accidents can be prevented," Bausch stressed.

In addition, authorities stress that dangerous driving behaviours, including endangering pedestrians, have had a detrimental impact on road safety in Luxembourg. In fact, this behaviour has become the third leading cause of accidents.

Finally, it is worth noting that the age range of drivers presumed responsible for fatal and serious accidents varied from 18 to 64, in contrast to the previous year, where the majority were aged between 18 and 44.

The data highlights that vehicle collisions remain the most common type of accident. There has also been a slight increase in collisions involving trees and other fixed obstacles, leading to a substantial number of severe accidents.