Germany Counts 34,300 Alcohol-Related Crashes in 2025; Safety Council Demands Zero-Tolerance for All Drivers
13.06.2026 - 01:52:09 | boerse-global.de
A person dies every two days in Germany on roads where alcohol is involved, and a collision happens roughly every 15 minutes. That is the grim arithmetic of the 34,300 alcohol-related traffic accidents recorded in 2025 — a tally that cost 166 lives, left 3,700 people seriously injured and harmed 13,800 more, according to the German Road Safety Council (DVR).
While the number of deaths fell 16% from the previous year, the DVR says the pace of incidents is unacceptable. Its president, Manfred Wirsch, is calling for a complete ban on alcohol for all car drivers, to be written into the road traffic law. He also wants a Medical-Psychological Assessment (MPU) triggered at a blood alcohol concentration of 1.1 promille — a threshold currently relevant only for criminal penalties.
E-scooters and bicycles are a particular concern. In 2024, 12% of the 11,900 e-scooter crashes involved alcohol. Cyclists accounted for roughly 43% of all alcohol-related accidents. The DVR argues that riding a bicycle with 1.1 promille or more should be classified as a regulatory offence, just as it is for drivers.
Police forces across several states are ramping up enforcement this week. From June 13 to June 21, a nationwide awareness campaign titled "Discover how much more you have in you" runs alongside intensified checks under the European ROADPOL operation "Alcohol & Drugs". In Saxony-Anhalt, officers will carry out daily controls of cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles. Thuringia plans to deploy nearly 700 officers at more than 100 checkpoints; the state has already recorded four deaths and over 560 injuries this year in crashes involving alcohol or drugs.
Beyond policing, local prevention networks are stepping in. The HaLT network in Göttingen will train hospitality staff on June 16 to strengthen youth protection during the parallel football World Cup. In districts like Biberach and Vorpommern-Rügen, self-help groups are offering talks on addiction consequences and new counselling technologies.
The German Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists (BPtK) backs the action week and points to a deeper, structural problem. In 2024, roughly 3.9 million adults aged 18 to 64 were estimated to have an alcohol-related disorder. President Dr. Andrea Benecke warns that health risks increase from the very first drink. The chamber is demanding tighter restrictions on alcohol availability, limits on marketing and adjustments to pricing and tax policy.
In March 2026, the BPtK signed a position paper by the Alliance for Alcohol Prevention calling for better early detection and easier access to treatment. According to the German Centre for Addiction Issues (DHS), about 44,000 people die annually in Germany from alcohol-related causes. Federal Drug Commissioner Hendrik Streeck, speaking at the launch of the awareness week, warned of long-term consequences such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. His message: even reducing consumption can improve quality of life.
