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Thanks to the lower volume of traffic in the past year, the number of traffic accidents in Hamburg has decreased significantly.

The police recorded 58,136 accidents, which is over 10,000 or 15.6 percent fewer than in the previous year.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has had a very noticeable impact, albeit positively," said Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) on Tuesday at the presentation of the road safety report for 2020. The accident situation corresponds to the status of 2004.

15 people died on Hamburg's streets, up from 28 in 2019. Of the traffic fatalities, nine were pedestrians, three cyclists, two drivers and one motorcyclist.

A total of 7904 people were injured, 1391 or 15 percent less than in the previous year.

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The number of children who had an accident decreased by 16.2 percent from 660 to 553.

No child was killed.

428 people had accidents per 100,000 inhabitants - this is the lowest level since statistics began in 1953.

With minus 17.2 percent, the police counted the largest decrease in accidents with cars.

The number of accidents involving trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians also decreased.

Only the number of accidents involving cyclists rose by 3.6 percent to 3,668, with 2,735 cyclists having accidents, 204 or 8.1 more than in the previous year.

The background was the 33 percent increase in cycling in Hamburg, said Police Vice President Morten Struve.

Road traffic overall fell by around eleven percent.

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Almost half of all accidents with cyclists (48 percent) were caused by the cyclists themselves, as the head of the traffic department Ulf Schröder said.

The number of cyclist accidents involving cars and trucks has decreased by around ten percent each.

On the other hand, the number of collisions between cyclists (plus 12 percent) and accidents between cyclists and pedestrians (plus 2.5 percent) increased.

Three cyclists killed

So-called personal accidents had also occurred significantly more frequently.

427 cyclists were injured in falls without third-party involvement last year, after 177 in the previous year.

The police assume that the number of unreported cases is considerably higher.

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Of the three cyclists killed last year, two were hit by trucks turning right.

The third collided with another cyclist and fell.

The 83-year-old disregarded the right of way and did not wear a helmet, said Schröder.

The biggest safety problem in bicycle traffic are the so-called ghost cyclists who use the cycle paths and sometimes cycle lanes in the wrong direction.

With a third bicycle relay, the police want to ensure more security this year.

More camouflaged mobile speed cameras planned

The police registered 220 accidents involving electric scooters.

75 percent (166 accidents) were caused by the drivers themselves.

120 e-scooter users and 39 other people, in many cases not allowed passengers, were injured.

Last year's very good safety record was not only due to the corona pandemic, but also to the work of the police, said Grote.

The number of mobile speed cameras disguised as trailers rose by two to eight in the past year.

Four more are to be added this year.

The use of these devices is very successful, according to statistics: While the number of registered speed violations fell by a total of 0.5 percent to just under 877,000, the number of speed offenders caught in mobile operations increased by 28.3 percent to around 464,000.