Winter chaos in Germany: black ice and accidents cause emergencies!

Winter chaos in Germany: black ice and accidents cause emergencies!

The onset of winter caused chaos in Germany and Vienna in mid-January. The meteorological conditions, led by Depression “Gunda”, bring snow, freezing rain and, above all, a significant risk of slippery roads. The situation has already led to numerous traffic accidents, schools remaining closed and restrictions on rail and air traffic. Focus reports about a tragic incident near Colbitz in which a 64-year-old driver of a pickup truck died after his vehicle skidded on a slippery road and collided with a tree. Another driver, a 52-year-old, was also slightly injured.

The effects of black ice and snowfall cause many people to end up in hospital emergency rooms. In Germany, clinics report a large number of slippery-related injuries, both among drivers and pedestrians. Police and authorities are urgently warning about the dangers posed by frozen lakes, especially in Berlin, where the threat to life has increased due to the thaw.

School and traffic chaos

The school closures primarily affected North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bremen, Saarland and parts of Hesse. Face-to-face teaching has been suspended for safety reasons, and many students are taking distance learning. In Brandenburg, parents also have to reschedule as schools remain closed due to the risk of slippery roads.

But the problems are not limited to the education sector. Slippery accidents have increased again on the roads in recent days. In Schleswig-Holstein in particular, more than 20 traffic accidents due to slippery roads were reported in one night, although fortunately only three people were slightly injured. The ADAC strongly advises people to avoid car trips in the current weather situation, while the police in the Hamburg area continue to warn of dangerous conditions in S-Bahn traffic.

Airport and rail traffic in a state of emergency

The consequences of the winter weather conditions are clearly noticeable at Vienna Airport. Due to lightning ice, operations were temporarily suspended, affecting around 140 flights. The resumption is being planned, but gradual normalization is not expected until Wednesday. Train travelers in northern Germany have also been prepared for longer waiting times as long-distance traffic came to a temporary standstill. However, Deutsche Bahn has announced that around two thirds of long-distance traffic will return to normal from Sunday afternoon.

In Bavaria, for the safety of users, there was a mass collision on the B173 in Lichtenfels, which resulted in 13 injuries, including two seriously injured. An accident also ended tragically on the A6 near Nuremberg when a tractor-trailer rammed two cars and a passenger died. This and other incidents mean that Minister Patrick Schnieder wants the railway's crisis management and processes to be further analyzed. The Tagesschau reports of a chaotic winter that continues to keep the authorities on their toes.

There will be no positive weather in sight for the coming days, while the freezing rain may continue regionally until Tuesday, the question arises as to how best to transport those affected in the winter. While the emergency rooms are overloaded due to the accidents, the only option for passengers is to patiently wait out the situation.