Fatigue at the wheel: woman and child seriously injured after rollover!

Fatigue at the wheel: woman and child seriously injured after rollover!

The roads in Bavaria continue to be the scene of tragic accidents, often caused by fatigue. Two serious incidents recently occurred in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, which once again illustrate the importance of vigilance behind the wheel.

On Thursday afternoon, a 34-year-old mother lost control of her vehicle, which had fatal consequences. The woman was driving her car on the state road between Zimmern and Bieswang when she was proven to be tired around 2 p.m. Her car got into the ditch and crashed head-on into the concrete inlet of a water culvert. The impact was severe and caused the vehicle to roll over and come to rest on all four wheels. The mother was seriously injured in this accident and had to be flown to a clinic in Nuremberg with a rescue helicopter. Her three-year-old son, who was fortunately secured in a child seat, was also injured and transported in an ambulance to a Nuremberg clinic for further treatment.

More tragic incidents

But this wasn't the only serious accident this week. On Tuesday, May 13th, another serious head-on collision occurred in Pleinfeld. A 42-year-old driver died at the scene of the accident, while a 24-year-old man, who was driving his vehicle from Langlau towards Pleinfeld, was critically injured and had to be taken to hospital immediately. The exact cause of this accident is still unclear, so the police are asking witnesses to come forward to clarify the incident. The young man was trapped in his vehicle and had to be freed by the fire department before he was also transported to a clinic by helicopter. A detailed investigation was commissioned by the Ansbach public prosecutor's office.

Tiredness at the wheel

These tragic events shed light on a widespread problem: driving fatigue. According to statistics from Austria, a total of 482 accidents with personal injury caused by fatigue occurred in 2023, with 23 people losing their lives. Young drivers between the ages of 20 and 29 are often the main cause of such accidents. Fatigue significantly impairs the ability to react. Experts recommend taking a break if you are tired and, for example, taking a “power nap” of 20-30 minutes. In addition, long journeys should always be planned with driver changes in order to minimize the risk. Caffeine alone is often not enough to maintain alertness.

In view of recent accidents, it is high time to listen up and take your body's warning signals seriously. We appeal to all road users to be careful and not to take unnecessary risks.