Across Switzerland, there were 0.49 serious car accident per 10,000 residents involving alcohol in 2023, reported Touring Club Switzerland (TCS). However, some cantons had rates well above this average, with the canton of Geneva in the lead.
In 2023, there were 1.09 serious car accident per 10,000 residents involving alcohol in Geneva, a number more than double the Swiss average (0.49). The canton has seen a consistent rise in serious alcohol related accidents since 2017. There were 0.76, 0.81, 1.00, 1.01, 0.95 and 1.04 serious alcohol-related accidents in Geneva in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.
In 2023, Ticino (0.73) took second place, followed by Basel-City (0.66), Vaud (0.64), Valais (0.62), Fribourg (0.60) and Neuchâtel (0.57). Only one of these front runners was German speaking.
By contrast, the lowest rates in 2023 were recorded in Appenzell Innerrhoden (0), Schaffhausen (0.12), Zug (0.23), Obwalden (0.26), Jura (0.27) and Graubunden (0.30), all German-speaking cantons with one exception.
Deaths caused by alcohol related road accidents in 2023 were highest in Vaud (5). There were four deaths in Bern, Geneva and Zurich, two deaths in Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Valais, and one in St Gellen and Ticino. In total there were 25 deadly accidents related to alcohol across Switzerland in 2023.
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TCS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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