In 1972, the death toll from traffic accidents in the Federal Republic of Germany reached a peak of about 21,000 deaths. In 2017, the death toll hit a low of 3,100 victims, about 85 percent less.
This decrease in the number of victims of road
accidents has occurred, although the number of cars has increased over the past 45 years, the number of miles traveled has increased dramatically, even the number of drivers has increased – in 1990 the Federal Republic was reunited with East Germany, so the population increased by 17 million.
This radical improvement was backed up by an endless chain of technological advances (airbags, ABS disc brakes, etc.) as well as some enforced laws. In 1972, there were no seat belt laws, no motorcycle helmets, and no general speed limit on back roads.
