European Road Safety Observatory
National Road Safety Profile - Switzerland

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

This document is part of a series of 30 country proﬁles: one for each member of the EU 27
and three EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland). The purpose of this series is toprovide tables and ﬁgures that give an overview of the road safety situation in a speciﬁc country. The tables and ﬁgures are organized according to a pyramid of road safety information:(1) road safety outcomes, (2) road safety performance indicators, (3) road safety programmes
and measures, and (4) structure and culture.
Contract: This document has been prepared in the framework of the EC Service Contract
MOVE/C2/SER/2019-100/SI2.822066 with Vias institute (BE) and SWOV Institute for Road Safety
Research (NL).
Version 2.0, February 21, 2023
Author: Annelies Schoeters (Vias institute)
Referencing: Reproduction of this document is allowed with due acknowledgement. Pleaserefer to the document as follows: European Commission (2022) National Road Safety Proﬁle
Switzerland. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for Transport.
Disclaimer
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the material presented in this document isrelevant, accurate and up-to-date, the (sub)contractors cannot accept any liability for any error
or omission, or reliance on part or all of the content in another context.
Any information and views set out in this document are those of the author(s) and do notnecessarily reﬂect the oﬃcial opinion of the European Commission. The Commission does notguarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study. Neither the Commission nor any
person acting on the Commission’s behalf may be held responsible for the use that may bemade of the information contained herein.

1National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

1 Highlights
Road safety outcomes• In 2020 a total of 227 people were killed in reported traﬃc accidents in Switzerland.
• Switzerland performs better than almost all EU countries in terms of the number of fatalities per million inhabitants. Over the past twenty years this rate has decreased moresigniﬁcantly in Switzerland than the EU average.
• Compared to the EU average, the distribution of fatalities in Switzerland shows a relatively
high proportion fatalities among cyclists and powered two-wheelers.
Road safety performance indicators• Self-reported speeding and drink-driving in Switzerland are higher than the European
average.
• Self-reported talking on a handheld phone while driving is lower than in most European
countries.
• Swiss road infrastructure is characterized by high road density. Its quality is perceived as
one of the highest compared to other countries.
• Swiss passenger cars are slightly younger than the EU average.
Road safety policy and measures• Enforcement of drink-driving is less widely perceived as effective in comparison to EU
countries.
• Self-reported alcohol and drugs checks are lower than in most countries.

2

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

2 Road Safety Outcomes
2.1

General risk in traﬃc

In Switzerland, a total of 227 people were killed in reported traﬃc accidents in 2020. In termsof mortality rate, there were 26 road fatalities per million inhabitants, which is lower than themortality rate of most EU countries. Since 2001, the mortality rate in Switzerland has declined
more signiﬁcantly than the EU average.
Over the past ten years, the number of fatalities in Switzerland has decreased by about one
third, which is similar as the decrease in the European Union. Over the same period the number of serious injuries dropped by 15%. In most EU countries the numbers of fatalities andserious injuries fell between 2019 and 2020. The COVID pandemic and the associated restrictions in mobility undoubtedly led to a reduction in the number of casualties though the extent
to which this was the case is not known.
Table 1. Number of road fatalities and serious injuries (2010 and 2020). Source: CARE

Fatalities
Serious injuries

2010
327
4,458

2020
227
3,793

Trend
-31%
-15%

EU 201029611/

EU 202018834/

EU trend-36%/

Figure 1. Number of road fatalities per million inhabitants (2020). Source: CARE & EUROSTAT

75

50

EU = 42
26

25

0

Sw
ed
en
M
D a
en ltama
Sp rk
N Ir ain
et el
he an
r d
G lan
er ds
m
Sl an
ov y
e
Au niast
Fr riaance
Lu Fi Italyxe nlam ndb
Be ourlg g
Es iumSl ton
o ia
H vak
un ia
C gar
ze y
Po ch
rtu ia
C ga
yp l
G rus
re
C ece
Li roath tiaua
Po niaBu lanlg da
La ria
R tv
om ia
a
N nia
o
Li I rwa
ec ce yh la
Sw ten nd
itz ste
er in
la
nd

Fatalities per million inhabitants

100

3National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Figure 2. Number of road fatalities (2010-2020). Source: CARE

18,83422,75623,331

23,39223,80824,35824,14024,226

26,50028,74829,611
227
187

230

233

20000
216

200

253

243

269

Fatalities

European Union

339

300

320

327

Switzerland

10000
100

0

0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 20202010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Figure 3. Number of serious injuries (2010-2020). Source: CARE

3,793

2016

3,639

2015

3,873

2014

3000

3,654

2013

3,785

2012

3,830

4,043

2011

4,129

2010

4,202

4,437

Serious injuries

4000

4,458

5000

2000

1000

0

4

2017

2018

2019

2020

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Figure 4. Number of road fatalities per million inhabitants (2001-2020). Source: CARE & EUROSTATSwitzerland

European Union

Fatalities per million inhabitants

120

90

60

30

0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

2.2

Transport modes1

In 2020, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and powered two-wheelers) accounted
for more than 60% of road traﬃc fatalities in Switzerland. This percentage is higher than thatobserved in the European Union as a whole. The greatest difference is found in the road user
category of cyclists, which represented 19% of Switzerland’s road fatalities, as opposed to 10%
in the European Union. Car occupants on the other hand account for 31% of road fatalities,
which is well below the proportion that is seen in the European Union (43%).
Over time there has been a decrease in the number of fatalities and serious injuries in Switzerland for all modes except for cyclists. While their number of fatalities increased slightly by
3%, the number of seriously injured cyclists shows a signiﬁcant increase by 45%. The mostfavourable trend in terms of transport mode was related to pedestrians, with the number offatalities falling by 47%.
Of all vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and powered two-wheelers) in Switzerlandthat were fatally injured, 40% were involved in a crash with a car. These victims have decreasedby almost 50% which is more than in the EU overall. Another 16% of fatally injured vulnerable
road users were involved in a crash with a lorry or heavy goods vehicle. This number decreased
by only 6% over the past ten years.
Figure 5. Number of road fatalities by transport mode (2020). Source: CARE

Switzerland

European Union
0%

Pedestrians

Powered two−wheelers

Lorry/HGV/bus/coach occupants

Cyclists

Car occupants

Other/unknown

16%

19%

19%

10%

26%
18%

31%
43%

25%

50%

5% 5%
75%

Fatalities (%)
1

For more details about the categories used in this subsection, please see section 6.2 Deﬁnitions.

5

5%

100%

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Table 2. Average number of road fatalities by transport mode (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

Pedestrians
Cyclists
Powered two-wheelers
Car occupants
Lorries, under 3.5t
Heavy goods vehicles
Bus/coach occupants
Other/unknown
Total

2010 - 2012
73
36
74
117
7
1
13
7
329

2018 - 2020
39
37
47
72
4
2
2
14
216

Trend
-47%
+3%
-36%
-38%
/
/
/
/
-34%

EU 2010 - 2012
5,793
2,023
5,057
13,309
898
590
102
1,116
28,286

EU 2018 - 2020
4,328
1,971
3,940
9,597
732
378
88
837
21,640EU trend
-25%
-3%
-22%
-28%
-18%
-36%
-14%
/
-23%

Table 3. Average number of serious injuries by transport mode (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

Pedestrians
Cyclists
Powered two-wheelers
Car occupants
Lorries, under 3.5t
Heavy goods vehicles
Bus/coach occupants
Other/unknown
Total

2010 - 2012
695
872
1,432
1,197
49
19
32
70
4,366

2018 - 2020
490
1,266
1,093
705
34
15
27
140
3,768

Trend
-29%
+45%
-24%
-41%
-31%
-21%
-16%
/
-14%

Table 4. Average number of fatalities among vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and mopeds) involved incrashes involving cars, buses or coaches, and lorries or heavy goods vehicles (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source:
CARE

Crashes involving buses or coaches
Crashes involving cars
Crashes involving lorries or heavy goods vehicles

2010 - 2012460
182018 - 2020
3
32
17

Trend
/
-47%
-6%

EU 2010 - 2012
258
5,507
1,721

EU 2018 - 2020
173
4,306
1,321

Table 5. Average number of road fatalities in urban areas by transport mode (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source:
CARE

Pedestrians
Cyclists
Powered two-wheelers
Car occupants
Lorries, under 3.5t
Heavy goods vehicles
Bus/coach occupants
Other/unknown
Total

2.3

2010 - 2012
53
23
19
25
2
0
1
1
124

2018 - 2020
33
22
11
19
0
0
0
5
91

Trend
-38%
-4%
/
-24%
/
/
/
/
-27%

EU 2010 - 2012
3,944
1,113
2,200
2,883
149
82
24
219
10,803

EU 2018 - 2020
3,079
1,125
1,562
2,109
137
36
36
254
8,406

EU trend
-22%
+1%
-29%
-27%
-8%
-56%
+50%
/
-22%

Age

The distribution of road fatalities across age groups in Switzerland is different from that for
the European Union. People aged 75 and above represent more than 30% of road fatalities,
which is much higher than what is seen in the European Union (15%). On the other hand, theproportion of fatalities aged 18 to 49 is much smaller.

6

EU trend
-33%
-22%
-23%

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Over the past ten years, the trend in the number of fatalities in Switzerland was downward for
all age groups. While there is an increase in the European Union of fatalities in the age groupof 85 and older, their number slightly decreased in Switzerland. The number of serious injuries
on the other hand, showed an increase for the people aged 50 and older.
Figure 6. Number of road fatalities by age group (2020). Source: CARE

Switzerland

4%8%

European Union

4%

12%

<18

25−49

65−74

85+

18−24

50−64

75−84

Unknown

25%

20%
33%

0%

12%
21%

25%

21%
12%

50%

10%
11%

75%

4%3%
100%

Fatalities (%)

Table 6. Average number of road fatalities by age group (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

<18
18-24
25-49
50-64
65-74
75-84
85+
Unknown
Total

2010 - 2012
25
39
92
68
40
42
22
0
329

2018 - 2020
11
17
55
45
30
38
21
0
216

Trend
/
-56%
-40%
-34%
-25%
-10%
-5%
/
-34%

EU 2010 - 2012
1,503
4,398
10,457
5,273
2,730
2,775
882
738
28,286

EU 2018 - 2020
918
2,589
7,311
4,605
2,627
2,414
1,075
360
21,640EU trend
-39%
-41%
-30%
-13%
-4%
-13%
+22%
/
-23%

Table 7. Average number of serious injuries by age group (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

<18
18-24
25-49
50-64
65-74
75-84
85+
Unknown
Total

2.4

2010 - 2012
505
613
1,666
900
366
240
75
0
4,366

2018 - 2020
301
397
1,271
1,008
416
278
98
0
3,768

Trend
-40%
-35%
-24%
+12%
+14%
+16%
+31%
/
-14%

Gender

The high proportion of males among total road fatalities in Switzerland (79%) is similar to the
EU average. This gender pattern apparent throughout the EU can be explained by differencesin relation to frequency of transport use and to behaviour.

7National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Figure 7. Number of road fatalities by gender (2020). Source: CARE
FemaleMale

Unknown

Switzerland

21%

79%

European Union

22%

76%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Fatalities (%)

Table 8. Average number of road fatalities by gender (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

FemaleMale
Unknown
Total

2010 - 2012
84
244
0
329

2018 - 2020
52
163
0
216

Trend
-38%
-33%
/
-34%

EU 2010 - 2012
6,655
21,5191,310
28,286

EU 2018 - 2020
4,960
16,659254
21,640EU trend
-25%
-23%
/
-23%

Table 9. Average number of serious injuries by gender (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE
2010 - 2012
1,474
2,891
0
4,366

FemaleMale
Unknown
Total

2.5

2018 - 2020
1,238
2,530
0
3,768

Trend
-16%
-12%
/
-14%

Area

The proportion of fatalities on urban roads in Switzerland (46%) is slightly higher than in theEuropean Union as a whole (38%). Over time, fatalities and serious injuries in Switzerland havedecreased on all road types.
Figure 8. Number of road fatalities by road type (2020). Source: CARE
Motorways

Switzerland

8%

European Union

8%0%

Rural roads

46%

Urban roads

Unknown

46%

51%

38%

25%

50%

Fatalities (%)

8

75%

100%

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Table 10. Average number of road fatalities by road type (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

Motorway
Rural
Urban
Unknown
Total

2010 - 2012
36
169
124
/
329

2018 - 2020
20
105
91
/
216

Trend
-44%
-38%
-27%
/
-34%

EU 2010 - 2012
2,072
15,28010,803908
28,286

EU 2018 - 2020
1,812
11,4308,406
543
21,640EU trend
-13%
-25%
-22%
/
-23%

Table 11. Average number of serious injuries by road type (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

Motorway
Rural
Urban
Unknown
Total

2.6

2010 - 2012
300
1465
2600
/
4366

2018 - 2020
163
1253
2352
/
3768

Trend
-46%
-14%
-10%
/
-14%

Time 2The distribution of fatalities by day of the week and time of the day is slightly different fromthe EU average: the country shows a higher proportion of fatalities that occur in the day-time
during the working week (67%).
Figure 9. Number of road fatalities by period of time (2020). Source: CARE
Working week − daytime

Weekend − daytime

Working week − night−timeWeekend − night−time67%

Switzerland

European Union0%

Unknown

23%

57%

8%

25%

50%

21%

6%
10%

75%

100%

Fatalities (%)

Table 12. Average number of road fatalities by period of time (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

Working week - daytime
Working week - night-time
Weekend - daytime
Weekend - night-time
Unknown
Total

2.7

2010 - 2012
205
25
68
30
/
329

2018 - 2020
134
8
47
17
/
216

Trend
-35%
/
-31%
-43%
/
-34%

EU 2010 - 2012
15,495
2,573
6,383
3,549
4,226
28,286

EU 2018 - 2020
12,506
1,848
4,974
2,327
562
21,640EU trend
-19%
-28%
-22%
-34%
/
-23%

Road conditions

The majority of road fatalities occur on dry roads. This is the case for Switzerland as well as for
the European Union as a whole. Regarding light conditions, about 20% of fatalities occur when
it is dark, which is slightly less compared to the EU average.
2

For more details about the time periods used in this subsection, please see section 6.2 Deﬁnitions.

9National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Figure 10. Number of road fatalities by surface conditions (2020). Source: CARE
Dry

Snow, frost, ice, slush

Wet, damp

Other/unknown

78%

Switzerland

19%

75%

European Union

0%

20%

25%

50%

4%

75%

100%

Fatalities (%)

Table 13. Average number of road fatalities by surface conditions (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

Dry
Snow, frost, ice, slush
Wet, damp
Other/unknown
Total

2010 - 2012
243
18
67
/
329

2018 - 2020
167
4
42
/
216

Trend
-31%
/
-37%
/
-34%

EU 2010 - 2012
21,101
988
5,638
2,486
28,286

EU 2018 - 2020
16,582
362
4,328
580
21,640EU trend
-21%
-63%
-23%
/
-23%

Figure 11. Number of road fatalities by light conditions (2020). Source: CARE
Daylight

Twilight

Darkness

Unknown

72%

Switzerland

6%

51%

European Union

0%

5%

25%

50%

21%

27%

17%
75%

100%

Fatalities (%)

Table 14. Average number of road fatalities by light conditions (2010-2012 and 2018-2020). Source: CARE

Darkness
Daylight
Twilight
Unknown
Total

2010 - 2012
95
202
25
7
329

2018 - 2020
49
152
14
1
216

Trend
-48%
-25%
/
/
-34%

10

EU 2010 - 2012
8,922
13,717
1,499
5,326
28,286

EU 2018 - 2020
6,275
11,235
1,156
3,729
21,640EU trend
-30%
-18%
-23%
/
-23%

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

3 Road safety performance indicators
3.1

Behaviour of road users

Most of the road safety performance indicators regarding behaviour in traﬃc are based on
self-reported behaviour. Switzerland performs signiﬁcantly worse than the European averagein relation to speeding and drink-driving. On the other hand, the self-reported use of a mobile
phone while driving in Switzerland is lower than the European average and the self-reported
use of a helmet among cyclists is higher.
3.1.1

Speeding

Figure 12. Percentage of car drivers that say they have driven faster than the speed limit outside built-up areas(but not on motorways/freeways) at least once in the last 30 days. Source: ESRA (2018)
Luxembourg
Austria
Denmark
Slovenia
FinlandSwedenNorwayCzechia
Portugal
Switzerland
Germany
FrancePolandBelgium
Netherlands
EuropeHungary
GreeceIreland
Spain
United Kingdom
Bulgaria
Italy

75%

68%

0

25

50

75

% self−reported speeding outside built−up areas (but not on motorways/freeways)

11

100

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

3.1.2

Driving under the inﬂuence

Figure 13. Percentage of car drivers that say they have driven at least once in the last 30 days when they may havebeen over the legal limit for drinking and driving. Source: ESRA (2018)
Luxembourg
Belgium
FranceSwitzerland
GreeceSpain
Slovenia
Austria
Portugal
Italy
EuropeCzechia
Denmark
IrelandNetherlands
Germany
United Kingdom
NorwaySwedenPolandBulgaria
Finland
Hungary

22%

13%

0

10

20

30

40

50

% self−reported drink driving

3.1.3

Use of protective systems

Figure 14. Percentage of car passengers that say they drove at least once in the last 30 days without wearing a seatbelt in the rear seat. Source: ESRA (2018)
Italy
Hungary
Bulgaria
GreecePortugal
PolandCzechia
Austria
Switzerland
Slovenia
EuropeSpain
Belgium
FinlandSwedenNetherlands
IrelandFranceGermany
NorwayLuxembourg
United Kingdom
Denmark

40%
37%

0

25

50

75

% self−reported non−seatbelt wearing in the back seat

12

100

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Figure 15. Percentage of cyclists that say they always cycled with a helmet in the last 30 days. Source: ESRA (2018)
Portugal
United Kingdom
Ireland
GreeceSpain
Switzerland
NorwayLuxembourg
Italy
Bulgaria
EuropeAustria
Czechia
SwedenSlovenia
FinlandDenmark
Germany
FrancePolandHungary
Belgium
Netherlands

45%

31%

0

25

50

75

100

% self−reported helmet wearing among cyclists

3.1.4

Distraction

Figure 16. Percentage of car drivers that say they have at least once in the last 30 days talked on a hand-heldmobile phone while driving. Source: ESRA (2018)
Finland
GreeceSlovenia
PolandGermany
Bulgaria
Portugal
Austria
Luxembourg
Czechia
NorwaySwedenEuropeHungary
Italy
FranceSwitzerland
Denmark
Spain
Ireland
Belgium
Netherlands
United Kingdom

29%

25%

0

25

50

75

100

% self−reported talking on a handheld phone while driving

3.2

Infrastructure

In Switzerland both the overall road network and the motorway network show high road density in comparison with the EU average. The indicator for the quality of road infrastructure isbased on judgements made by road users themselves. For Switzerland, a score of 6.3 (on avalue scale from 1 to 7) is given, which is the second highest score.

13

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

3.2.1

Road density

Table 15. Road density. Source: EUROSTAT (2020)

Motorways
Total

3.2.2

Switzerland
37 km road/1000 km²2017 km road/1000 km²

European Union
15 km road/1000 km²
918 km road/1000 km²

Road quality

Figure 17. Perceived quality of the road infrastructure (1 = extremely poor, 7 = among the best in the world).
Source: World Economic Forum, Executive Opinion Survey (2019)

Perceived quality of roads

8

6.3
6

4

2

R

om

an
i
M a
Bu alt
lg a
ar
La ia
C tvia
ze
H chi
un a
Sl garov ya
Ic kia
el
a
Po nd
l
a
Be nd
lg
iu
Ire m
la
nd
Ita
N ly
or
w
G ay
re
Li E ece
ec st
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en ia
Li steth inu
Uni S ante lo ia
d ve
Ki n
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d
C om
yp
G ru
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m
a
Fi ny
n
Sw landed
Lu Fr en
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b
D ou
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C ar kroat
Sp ia
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Sw rt ai ug
N tze alet rlahe nr la d
nd
s

0

3.3

Vehicle ﬂeet

The size of the Swiss vehicle ﬂeet, expressed per 100 inhabitants, is similar to the EU average.
Regarding the age of the vehicles, Swiss passenger cars appear to be slightly younger than the
EU average, with only 34% passenger cars over 10 years.
Table 16. Number of registered vehicles per 100 inhabitants. Source: EUROSTAT (2020)

Lorries
Road tractors
Trailers and semi-trailers
Motorcycles
Passenger cars
Motor coaches, buses and trolley buses

Switzerland
5
0
4
8
54
0

European Union
7
1
4
6
56
0

Table 17. Age of registered passenger cars. Source: EUROSTAT (2020)
Switzerland
European Union
Percentage of total number of passenger cars
Less than 2 years
16%
11%
From 2 to 5 years
20%
15%
From 5 to 10 years
30%
20%
From 10 to 20 years
28%
41%Over 20 years
6%
12%

14

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

4 Road safety policy and measures
4.1

Legislation

National road safety legislation in Switzerland reﬂects the situation in the majority of EU countries with a few exceptions. The maximum speed on rural roads (80km/h) and on motorways(120 km/h) is lower than in most EU countries. Furthermore, unlike most other countries there
is no age restriction to transport children on motorcycles in Switzerland.
Table 18. National road safety legislation. Source: WHO (2018)

Speed limits for passenger cars
Urban roads
Rural roads
Motorways
Allowed BAC (blood alcohol concentration) levels
General population
Novice drivers
Professional drivers
Seatbelt requirement
Drivers
Front passengers
Rear passengers
Transport of childrenChild restraint requiredChildren in front seat of passenger cars

Children passengers on motorcycles
Motorcycle helmets
Applies to driver
Applies to passengers
Applies to all roads
Applies to all engines
Helmet fastening requiredStandard referred to and / or speciﬁed
Mobile phone restriction
Applies to hand-held phone use
Applies to hands-free phone use

4.2

Switzerland

EU countries

50 km/h
80 km/h120 km/h

50 km/h: 27
80 km/h: 5; 90 km/h: 17; 100 km/h: 3; 110 km/h: 2
No limit: 1; 140 km/h: 2; 130 km/h: 14; 120 km/h: 6;
100 km/h: 1

0.5 g/l
0.1 g/l

0 g/l: 3; 0.2 g/l: 3; 0.4 g/l: 1; 0.5 g/l: 19; 0.8 g/l: 1
0 g/l: 8; 0.1 g/l: 1; 0.2 g/l: 12; 0.3 g/l: 1; 0.5 g/l: 4; 0.8
g/l: 1
0 g/l: 7; 0.1 g/l: 1; 0.2 g/l: 10; 0.3 g/l: 1; 0.5 g/l: 7; 0.8
g/l: 1

0.1 g/l

Yes
Yes
Yes

Yes: 27; No: 0
Yes: 27; No: 0
Yes: 27; No: 0

Up to 12 yrs / 150 cm

Up to 150 cm: 12; Up to 140 cm: 1; Up to 135 cm: 12;
Up to 10 yrs: 1
Prohibited under 10 yrs: 1; Prohibited under 12 yrs or
135 cm: 1; Prohibited under 150 cm: 1; Prohibited
under 135 cm: 1; Allowed in a child restraint: 22; Not
restricted: 1
Not restricted: 9; Prohibited under certain age/height:
18

Allowed in a child restraint

Not restricted

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes

Yes: 27; No: 0
Yes: 27; No: 0
Yes: 27; No: 0
Yes: 25; No: 2
Yes: 19; No: 8
Yes: 19; No: 8

Yes
No

Yes: 26; No: 1
Yes: 0; No: 27

Enforcement

According to an international respondent consensus, in which the effectiveness of road safety
enforcement is measured on a ten-point scale, Switzerland scores above the EU average forall legislation surveyed, except drink-driving legislation. Furthermore, both the self-reported
frequency of alcohol checks and of drug checks in Switzerland is lower than the European
average.

15

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Table 19. Effectiveness of enforcement according to an international respondent consensus (scale = 0-10). Source:
WHO (2018)
Switzerland
7
6
8
7
9

Speed legislation
Drink-driving legislation
Seatbelt legislation
Child restraint system legislation
Motorcycle helmet legislation

European average
6.8
7
7
7
8

Figure 18. Percentage of car drivers that say they have been checked by the police for using alcohol at least once
over the past 12 months. Source: ESRA (2018)
PolandCzechia
Bulgaria
Finland
Hungary
Spain
Slovenia
GreeceBelgium
SwedenNorwayPortugal
Ireland
Austria
EuropeFranceLuxembourg
Switzerland
Netherlands
Italy
Denmark
Germany
United Kingdom

18%
13%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

% checked by the police for using alcohol (self−reported)

Figure 19. Percentage of car drivers that say they have been checked by the police for the use of drugs at least
once over the past 12 months. Source: ESRA (2018)
Bulgaria
Spain
Czechia
Ireland
NorwayGreeceEuropePolandItaly
Hungary
Belgium
Austria
United Kingdom
Switzerland
SwedenSlovenia
Portugal
Netherlands
FinlandGermany
FranceDenmark
Luxembourg

4%

3%

0

5

10

% checked by the police for the use of drugs (self−reported)

16

15

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

4.3

Road infrastructure

Table 20. Infrastructure-related policy. Source: WHO (2018)

Audits or star rating required for new road infrastructure
Inspections / star rating of existing roads
Design standards for the safety of pedestrians / cyclists
Investments to upgrade high risk locations
Policies & investment in urban public transport
Policies promoting walking and cycling

4.4

Switzerland
Partial
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes

EU countries
Yes: 10 Partial: 17
Yes: 26 No: 1
Yes: 25 Partial: 2 No: 0
Yes: 21 No: 6
Yes: 24 No: 3
Yes: 21 Subnational: 3 No: 3

Post-crash care

Table 21. Policy related to post-crash care. Source: WHO (2018)
Switzerland
National

Trauma registry
National assessment of emergency care system
Provider training and certiﬁcation - Prehospital providers Formal certiﬁcation pathway
Provider training and certiﬁcation - Nurses - Post graduate
courses in emergency and trauma care
Provider training and certiﬁcation - Specialist doctors Emergency medicine

17

No
No

EU countries
National: 13 Subnational: 4Some facilities: 0 None: 7
Yes: 9 No: 18
Yes: 19 No: 6

Yes

Yes: 21 No: 5

Yes

Yes: 21 Subnational: 0National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

5 Structure and culture
5.1

Country characteristics

Population density in Switzerland is above the EU average, and its population is mainly settled in suburbs and towns. Its GDP per capita is above that of the European Union and theunemployment rate is lower.
Table 22. Country characteristics. Source: EUROSTAT and IRTAD

Population-related data (2021)
Population (2021)
Population density (inhabitants/km²)% Children (0-14)% Adults (15-64)% Elderly (65+)
Urbanization (2020)% living in cities% living in suburbs and towns% living in rural areas
Economic data
GDP per capita (EUR, 2021)
Unemployment rate (2021)% GDP dedicated to road spending (2019)

5.2

Switzerland

European Union

8670300
210
15%
66%
19%

447218763
106
15%
64%
21%

30%
52%
18%

39%
34%
28%

79248.7
5%
1%32438.47%
0.6%Structure of road safety management

Table 23. Road safety management structure. Source: National sources
Key functions

Formulation of national road safety strategy

Monitoring of the road safety development

Improvements in road infrastructure
Improvement in vehicles
Improvement in road user education
Publicity campaigns

Enforcement of traﬃc laws
Other relevant actors

Key actors
Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy andCommunication
Federal Roads Oﬃce
Federal Oﬃce of Transport
Canton Transportation Administrations
Federal Roads Oﬃce
Cantonal and communal oﬃces dedicated to road safety
Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy andCommunication
Federal Roads Oﬃce
Cantonal and communal civil engineering oﬃces
Federal Roads Oﬃce
Cantonal Road Traﬃc Oﬃces (Strassenverkehrsämter)
Swiss Council for Accident Prevention
Federal Roads Oﬃce
Road Safety Fund (FVS)
Swiss Council for Accident Prevention
Federal Department of Justice and Police
Cantonal Police
Regional Police
Automobile and Bike Clubs
Private Initiatives and Foundations

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National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

5.3

Attitudes

Table 24. Attitudes towards speeding, towards drink-driving, and towards the use of a mobile phone while driving.
Source: ESRA (2018)% of respondents that agree
Speeding
I often drive faster than the speed limit
I will do my best to respect speed limits in the next 30 days
Drink-driving
I often drive after drinking alcohol
I will do my best not to drive after drinking alcohol in thenext 30 days
Use of a mobile phone while driving
I often talk on a hand-held mobile phone while driving
I often check my messages on the mobile phone whiledriving
I will do my best not to use my mobile phone while drivingin the next 30 days

19

Switzerland

European average

Ranking among
European countries

9%
71%

12%
71%

17/22
16/22

1%
78%

2%
76%

18/22
11/22

4%
3%

3%
4%

8/22
12/22

79%

74%

4/22

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

6 Notes
6.1

Data sources

CARE(Community database on Accidents on the Roads in Europe) All information in part 1 of thisdocument (road safety outcomes) is based on data in the CARE database. The European average is based on the average of the 27 EU countries.
Date of extraction: 4th of October, 2022. There may be small discrepancies between the CARE
data presented in the report and the accident data published in national reports.
ESRA (E-Survey of Road Users’ Attitudes)
The European average is the average of 20 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom)
https://www.esranet.eu/en/ETSC (European Transport Safety Council)
Car safety data was retrieved from https://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/PIN-Flash-30-Final.pdf
Data about speeding was retrieved from https://www.etsc.eu/pinflash36
IRTAD (International Traﬃc Safety Data and Analysis Group)
Data is retrieved from the OECD database: https://stats.oecd.org/
Date of extraction: 11th of October 2022
WHO (World Health Organization)
The data are retrieved from the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety that was publishedin 2018. The European average is based on the average of the 27 EU countries.
https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/en/
World Economic Forum
Data is retrieved from https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/roads_quality/
Date of extraction: 11th of October 2022

6.2

Deﬁnitions

Accident / Crash
Any accident involving at least one road vehicle in motion on a public road or private road towhich the public has right of access, resulting in at least one injured or killed person (Source:
UNECE/ITF/Eurostat Glossary). Note: the deﬁnition of “injury” varies considerably among EU
countries thus affecting the reliability of cross country comparisons.
BicycleVehicle with at least 2 wheels, without engine. In some cases it can also use electric power.

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National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Bus or Coach
Bus: passenger-carrying vehicle, most commonly used for public transport, having more than
16 seats for passengers. Coach: passenger-carrying vehicle, having more than 16 seats forpassengers. Most commonly used for interurban movements and tourist trips. To differentiate
from other types of bus, a coach has a luggage hold separate from the passenger cabin.
CARE EU Average and aggregated numbers
In the second section “Road safety outcomes”, we provide EU averages and aggregated ﬁgures
based on the most recent ﬁgures available (2020). However, as some countries have not yet
provided their oﬃcial data for that year, we have produced the EU averages and aggregateddata by imputing ﬁgures based on data from previous years. The aggregated EU averages andﬁgures in this report may therefore differ slightly from the aggregated averages and ﬁguresfor 2020 that will be published in the future.
Fatal crash
Crash with at least one person killed regardless the injury severity of any other persons involved.
Fatalities
Total number of persons fatally injured within 30 days of the road crash; correction factors
applied when needed. Conﬁrmed suicide and natural death are not included.
Lorry, under 3.5 tonnes
Goods vehicle under 3.5t maximum gross weight. Smaller motor vehicle used only for thetransport of goods.
Pedestrian
Person on foot. Included are occupants or persons pushing or pulling a child’s carriage, aninvalid chair, or any other small vehicle without an engine. Also included are persons pushinga cycle, moped, roller-skating, skateboarding, skiing or using similar devices. Does not include
persons in the act of boarding or alighting from a vehicle. (Source: UNECE/ITF/Eurostat Glossary and CADAS Glossary) Unilateral pedestrian crashes (e.g. pedestrian falls) are excluded.
Powered two-wheelers
Driver or passenger of either a moped (two or three wheeled vehicle equipped with engine sizeof maximum 50cc and maximum speed that does not exceed 45 km/h. A moped can also havean electric motor. Speed pedelecs and electric powered bicycles that offer pedal assistance up
to 45 km/h, also belong to this category of vehicles.) or a motorcycle (motor vehicle with twoor three wheels, with an engine size of more than 50 cc. A motorcycle can also have an electricmotor.).
Seriously injured (at least 30 days)
The CARE database includes the number of persons seriously injured who have been hospitalised for at least 24 hours. An alternative source is MAIS (Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale)
which is a globally accepted trauma scale used by medical professionals. The injury score isdetermined at the hospital with the help of a detailed classiﬁcation key. The score ranges from
1 to 6, with levels 3 to 6 considered as serious injuries.

21

National Road Safety Proﬁle – Switzerland

Working week – Daytime
Monday to Friday 6.00 a.m. to 9.59 p.m.
Working week – Night-time
Monday 10 p.m. to Tuesday 5.59 a.m.
Tuesday 10 p.m. to Wednesday 5.59 a.m.
Wednesday 10 p.m. to Thursday 5.59 a.m.
Thursday 10 p.m. to Friday 5.59 a.m.
Weekend - Daytime
Saturday to Sunday 6.00 a.m. to 9.59 p.m.
Weekend - Night-time
Friday 10 p.m. to Saturday 5.59 a.m.
Saturday 10 p.m. to Sunday 5.59 a.m.
Sunday 10 p.m. to Monday 5.59 a.m.

22