The hazards of driving on Swiss roads in the 1960s
Switzerland is among the most densely populated countries in Europe, so its roads are often clogged with vehicles. However, it has a good safety record.
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Julie worked as a radio reporter for BBC and independent radio all over the UK before joining swissinfo.ch's predecessor, Swiss Radio International, as a producer. After attending film school, Julie worked as an independent filmmaker before coming to swissinfo.ch in 2001.
Watching this report on traffic in the 1960s, it becomes clear that things have changed for the better.
The Alpine country performs better than most other European countries in terms of the number of road accident fatalities per million inhabitants. Over the past 20 years, this rate has decreased significantly in Switzerland compared to the European Union average. That’s according to the European Commission’s 2022 National Road Safety ProfileExternal link.
Road safety is helped by two major factors: the quality of Swiss roads is perceived as one of the highest compared to other countries, and Swiss passenger cars are slightly younger than the EU average.
The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, BFU, says that driver distraction, such as texting on mobile phones, is the most common cause of accidents on the road.
In the 1960s, the risks were different. Car technology was less developed and vehicles were more likely to break down. Traffic was channelled through small towns and villages, creating increased danger for pedestrians. Crossing the road was like playing Russian roulette.
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For decades, the Swiss have been heading south for holidays in the canton of Ticino or Italy. This film shows how people prepared for these journeys in the sixties.
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These days we have hi-tech to help us with home office, but what was working from home like at the birth of the digital age?
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Before television, Swiss cinemas showed weekly news reels. They were commissioned by the cabinet in 1940 to counter Nazi propaganda.
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