Solo accident

Solo accident caused by falling off the road and colliding with a tree as a result of a flat tire (1930)

A road traffic accident in which only one vehicle is involved is considered a solo accident (Switzerland: self- accident ) . However, several occupants can have an accident.

causes

The main causes of single accidents according to traffic accident statistics are:

Over the speed limit
Influence of alcohol on the driver
Driver fatigue

In some single accidents, suicidal intent is suspected. Covering up the suicide as an accident is accepted or even attempted by the driver in order to spare the bereaved shame or to avoid suicide clauses in life insurance . Suicidal intent is suspected, especially in the case of a rear-end collision with a stationary obstacle (tree, bridge pillar) without recognizable impairment of the driver and without explanatory circumstances such as poor visibility, if the driver's medical history shows appropriate diagnoses. Estimates for the share of suicides in road deaths overall (not only in single accidents) range between one percent for eastern Germany in the 1980s and seven percent in Finland in the early 1990s. This rate is higher for single accidents.

In the case of bicycle accidents without the involvement of other road users, studies conducted by the insurers' accident research in 2010 are often the cause of the inadequate cycling infrastructure and lack of driver training.

Situation in Germany

Solo accidents are listed as a category in the traffic accident statistics. In Germany, one in ten personal injuries as a result of a traffic accident recorded by the police occurred in a solo accident in 2013 , killing 941 people.

Frequency by vehicle type

The 981 single accidents with fatalities that were recorded by the police in Germany in 2013 were distributed among the type of vehicle as follows:

Vehicle of the victim / main perpetrator	Number of single fatal accidents	Number of accidents with the other party resulting in death	Total number of fatal accidents	Share of single accidents in relation to the total number per vehicle type
Car	594	1004	1,598	37%
motorcycle	180	142	322	56%
bicycle	88	127	215	41%
pedestrian	-	183	183	By definition 0%
truck	26th	136	162	16%
Moped / moped	21st	29	50	42%
Others (buses, articulated trucks, agriculture)	32	133	165	19%
total	941	1,754	2,695	35%

A high number of unreported cases is assumed for single accidents , as the official accident statistics are based on an accident recorded by the police. Since in the case of solo accidents, insurance can rarely be expected to regulate the damage, many solo accidents with property damage are not reported. In addition, some road users who have had an accident might face fines, for example for driving while drunk . On the other hand, it can be assumed that single accidents resulting in death are usually recorded by the police.

literature

Nicholas Tsongos, William J. Fogarty, Bertan W. Morrow, Charles N. Kurucz: Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation - Single Vehicle Accident Study . National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , Department of Transportation, United States 1977. (Volume I: Executive Summary , Volume II: Technical Report )

Web links

Commons : Solo accident - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Axel Genz: Suicide and mortality of neuropsychiatric patients: mortality risks and prevention opportunities . Springer, Berlin 1991, ISBN 978-3-662-02730-1 , urn : nbn: de: 1111-20131027278 , p. 12.
↑ K. Hernetkoski, E. Keskinen: Self-destruction in Finnish motor traffic accidents in 1974-1992 . In: Accid Anal Prev. Vol. 1998, No. 5 (Sep. 30, 1998), pp. 697-704, PMID 9678223 .
^ Dennis L. Peck, Kenneth Warner: Accident or Suicide? Single-Vehicle Car Accidents and the Intent Hypothesis . In: Adolescence . Vol. 30, No. 118 (Summer 1995), pp. 463-472, PMID 7676880 .
↑ Siegfried Brockmann: Cyclists primarily endanger themselves , Accident Research by Insurers, February 17, 2014, accessed on November 11, 2014
↑ Traffic accidents in 2013 . (PDF) Federal Statistical Office , Series 8, Series 7, Wiesbaden 2014, p. 47.
↑ ^a ^b Traffic accidents 2013 . (PDF) Federal Statistical Office , Series 8, Series 7, Wiesbaden 2014, p. 97.

[1] Axel Genz: Suicide and mortality of neuropsychiatric patients: mortality risks and prevention opportunities . Springer, Berlin 1991, ISBN 978-3-662-02730-1 , urn : nbn: de: 1111-20131027278 , p. 12.

[2] K. Hernetkoski, E. Keskinen: Self-destruction in Finnish motor traffic accidents in 1974-1992 . In: Accid Anal Prev. Vol. 1998, No. 5 (Sep. 30, 1998), pp. 697-704, PMID 9678223 .

[3] Dennis L. Peck, Kenneth Warner: Accident or Suicide? Single-Vehicle Car Accidents and the Intent Hypothesis . In: Adolescence . Vol. 30, No. 118 (Summer 1995), pp. 463-472, PMID 7676880 .

[4] Siegfried Brockmann: Cyclists primarily endanger themselves , Accident Research by Insurers, February 17, 2014, accessed on November 11, 2014

[5] Traffic accidents in 2013 . (PDF) Federal Statistical Office , Series 8, Series 7, Wiesbaden 2014, p. 47.

[Verkehrsunfälle_2013,_S._97-6] Traffic accidents 2013 . (PDF) Federal Statistical Office , Series 8, Series 7, Wiesbaden 2014, p. 97.