The first half of 2025 saw a modest decline in the total number of road accidents in Bavaria compared to the previous year.
According to figures released by the Bavarian Interior Ministry, police recorded 182,716 traffic accidents between January and June, representing a 1.9 percent decrease from the 186,190 incidents reported during the same period in 2024.
Injuries also dropped from 29,399 to 28,070, while fatalities decreased from 230 to 216.
Cyclists face growing risks
Despite the overall decline in road accidents, the situation for cyclists remains worrying. Fatal bicycle accidents increased from 34 to 42 within a year.
The total number of cycling accidents also rose slightly by 0.7 percent, reaching 8,905 cases compared to 8,839 in 2024.
Injuries among cyclists followed the same upward trend, climbing to 8,255 from 8,183.
Minister calls for more responsibility in cycling traffic
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) welcomed the overall positive trend but expressed concern about the rising number of serious cycling accidents.
“We need more consideration and responsibility on the roads,” he said, underlining the role of helmets as the most effective protection against severe head injuries.
Herrmann stressed that road safety campaigns will increasingly focus on the growing use of e-bikes, which require special attention due to their speed and handling.
Rural roads remain the most dangerous
The ministry figures also show that rural roads continue to account for the majority of fatal accidents.
In the first half of 2025, 129 people died on such roads — still high, but an 11 percent decrease compared to the previous year.
Accidents caused by excessive or inappropriate speed dropped significantly by 18.2 percent to 5,672 cases, with 54 resulting deaths — a slight reduction from 59 fatalities in 2024.
Seat belt negligence still fatal
Another persistent problem is the failure to wear seat belts. Twenty people lost their lives in the first half of 2025 for this reason, compared to 17 in 2024. “
These deaths are avoidable if everyone simply fastened their seat belt. Such recklessness costs lives every year,” Herrmann emphasized.
Fewer crashes linked to alcohol and drugs
The number of accidents involving alcohol fell by 10.5 percent to 2,059 cases.
While fatalities in this category decreased sharply, seven people still died in alcohol-related crashes, compared to 20 a year earlier.
Accidents under the influence of drugs also declined by nearly a quarter, from 347 to 264, though five lives were lost, up from two in the previous year.
