Survey: Men feel safer in traffic than women
According to a new survey, men feel much safer in traffic than women. In the survey conducted by the O.trend Institute on behalf of the Insurers' Accident Research Institute, 49% of women stated that they felt "safe" or "very safe" in traffic - compared to 64% of men. The figures confirm survey results from previous years: in 2019, 50% of women and 60% of men felt "safe" or "very safe" in traffic. In line with these figures, women were significantly more in favor of measures to improve road safety in the survey.
Looking at all respondents, a zero blood alcohol limit for all drivers in particular is often supported - 68% are open to this measure. In comparison, stricter speed limits are viewed much more critically.
Accordingly, 41 percent of people are in favor of a 30 km/h speed limit in cities as a measure to improve safety, while 47 percent are in favor of an 80 km/h speed limit on rural roads. Fifty-three percent of respondents are open to a speed limit of 130 kilometers per hour. While approval for speed limits hardly changed, it decreased for the zero blood alcohol limit: in 2019, 76% of respondents in the survey still said that they were in favor of such a regulation for greater road safety.
Age also plays a role
The extent to which measures to improve road safety are supported also depends heavily on age: older people tend to be more open to stricter speed limits than younger respondents. On the other hand, older people are less in favor of measures such as mandatory self-disclosure every five years from the age of 70.
For the survey, 2002 people aged 18 and over were interviewed across Germany between June 2 and July 2, 2023.
Despite the higher support for a zero blood alcohol limit among respondents, adherence to this rule in traffic can be challenging, especially when excessive speed and alcohol consumption coincide. For instance, a driver who exceeds the speed limit by 30 km/h while under the influence of alcohol has effectively doubled their 'legal limit' to 0.5%, surpassing the zero alcohol limit.
Additionally, stricter traffic rules, such as lower speed limits and zero alcohol limits, are crucial for enhancing safety, especially for more vulnerable road users, like women, who often feel less secure in traffic.
Source: www.dpa.com
