Thursday 11 August 2011

Less hit and run skiing last winter!

The number of hit and run offences on slopes in the Austrian Alps has dropped dramatically, figures presented reveal.

The Austrian Committee for Alpine Safety (KfAS) and the federal interior ministry’s Alpine safety department announced that 195 such offences were registered in ski resorts across the country between 1 November 2010 and 15 January 2011. Interior ministry official Hans Ebner said 242 hit and run accidents happened in the same time period of the previous winter sport season.
Austrian police have reminded tourists ahead of each skiing season that it is a criminal offence to continue skiing without checking the condition of the other person involved in a collision. Hit and Run offenders face fines and jail terms depending on whether they are found guilty of causing a crash and on the severity of the other person’s injuries.
The increased number of calls on holidaymakers by officials saying that hit and run skiing is a breach of the law has been made mainly responsible for the decline in such incidents.
Long-term figures reveal that only 10 per cent of all skiing and snowboarding accidents are collisions. Wrong estimation of one’s abilities, the consumption of alcohol and excessive speed have been identified as the major reasons for winter sport accidents. More than 50,000 skiers and boarders end up in hospitals in Austria each winter.
Figures presented by the interior minimiser today show that 13 men and two women lost their lives in accidents on the slopes this winter before 7 February. Twenty people died in skiing and snowboarding accidents in the same period of the previous winter season.
The Austrian Alps are one of the most popular winter holiday destinations in the world. Around one out of three vacations booked in European countries in the cold season are skiing trips to the country.

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