Despite growing volumes of traffic, the number of people killed or seriously injured on Swiss roads fell sharply from the 1970s to about 2016, and has since remained relatively stable.
The significantly lower number of fatalities and serious injuries compared with the 1970s can be attributed to technical, legal and educational improvements. These include the introduction of compulsory seatbelts and helmets, the introduction and subsequent reduction of speed limits and blood alcohol limits, improved vehicle safety features (e.g. ABS and airbags) and improvements in emergency services. Traffic calming measures, public awareness campaigns and better driver education are also likely to have contributed.
These measures have mostly helped to reduce the severity of accidents but not so much their overall number. The number of people with minor injuries continued to increase for some time, and only began to decrease in the years after 2003. However, it is important to note that there is likely to be considerable underreporting in accidents involving minor injuries, as many such cases are not recorded by the police.
