Insurers count cost of accident-prone Swiss
The Swiss are becoming more and more accident-prone outside the workplace, especially on the country’s roads.
Insurers paid out more than SFr4.2 billion ($3.4 billion) in 2002, including SFr1 billion to settle claims from road accidents.
While the number of workplace accidents has fallen to a record low, those occurring outside work time have reached an all-time high.
Insurance companies registered 477,000 non-work-related accidents last year. Swiss accident insurers said on Thursday that the latest figures confirmed a five-year trend.
“Increasing costs are a worrying factor,” they said.
Payouts soared by an unprecedented 8.7 per cent in 2002, mainly because of non-work-related accidents, which accounted for two-thirds of claims.
For the first time ever the insurance bill for road accidents rose above SFr1 billion – three times higher than the cost of other non-work related incidents. Sporting injuries accounted for around a quarter of claims.
Accident insurers estimate that the total loss to the Swiss economy was three and a half times the SFr4.2 billion paid out in 2002.
Work-related accidents
Meanwhile, accidents in the workplace dropped to 257,000 last year.
“This is due to prevention efforts and a general shift in the Swiss economy towards lower-risk trades in the service sector,” said accident insurers.
Another reason, they said, was the decline in the number of accident-prone young employees, who have been partly replaced in the jobs market by women.
The increase in road-accident claims comes at a time of growing public anger at the number of fatal accidents involving speeding young drivers.
New road regulations, which are due to come into force from 2005, will make it possible to permanently strip repeat traffic offenders of their licences.
Those who commit more than four “serious traffic offences”, such as driving more than 155kmh on a motorway, will be denied the right to drive for life.
A survey released on Wednesday by the Council for Accident Prevention revealed that one in two motorists drove over the speed limit.
A fifth of them admitted to drink driving, saying they thought the chances of being caught in Switzerland were slim.
The permitted level of alcohol is currently 0.8 milligrams of alcohol per litre of blood, but it will be reduced to 0.5mg next year.
The survey has prompted calls for the police to step up random checks.
swissinfo with agencies
Number of accidents in 2003:
-477,000 non-work related accidents.
-257,000 work-related accidents.
Total costs from accidents in 2002:
SFr4.2 billion ($3.4 billion)
-61% caused by non-work related accidents, of which 41% are due to road accidents.
-36% work-related incidents.
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