'Ordinary' driving mistakes killed more than 300 people in Czechia last year

Last year in Czechia, more than three hundred people died as a result of mundane but all-too-common driving violations. According to traffic police data, the culprits were inattention, speeding, failure to yield right of way, and driving into oncoming traffic — actions that many drivers don't consider serious offences until tragedy strikes.

"A crash rarely begins with something extraordinary — most often it's simply a loss of time and space needed to react. In 2025 police recorded 17,473 accidents in which the driver was not fully focused on driving, and 11,422 accidents linked to a speed unsuitable for the situation," said Michal Hodboď, director of the traffic police service.

The police released the statistics to coincide with the launch of a new prevention campaign by the Czech Insurance Association called "Ordinary Driving Kills." The campaign highlights behaviour behind the wheel that has become so routine it is no longer perceived as dangerous, even though it can lead to severe consequences for the driver and for other road users alike.

"We've grown used to treating certain driving behaviour as normal, even though we know it's dangerous," said Jan Matoušek, the association's executive director. "Drivers are usually quick to spot risky behaviour in others, but when they do the same thing themselves, they easily find excuses — being in a hurry, traffic conditions, or a feeling that everything is under control."

How many people died from each cause

Inattention behind the wheel killed 62 people last year. Inappropriate or excessive speed was linked to 124 deaths, failure to yield right of way caused 58 deaths, and driving into oncoming traffic claimed 49 lives. "Safe driving begins the moment we stop telling ourselves that we can still handle it," Hodboď added.

"In others we see a violation; in ourselves, merely a circumstance. We lack self-criticism, and that's exactly what we want to change," Matoušek stressed.

What the driver survey revealed

Ahead of the campaign's launch, a representative survey was conducted on Czech drivers' attitudes toward risky behaviour behind the wheel. In one simulated scenario, 46 percent of respondents admitted they would read an incoming text message while driving. Another 39 percent said they would exceed the speed limit if the surrounding traffic flow was moving at that pace too — in other words, adjusting to the rhythm of other cars rather than to road signs.

The campaign also draws on recent real-life cases. In Ostrava, a driver distracted by his phone hit elderly pedestrians on a crossing. In Prague, a van driver, exhausted after a long journey, briefly fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a lamppost, which then fell onto a group of Spanish tourists walking by. Another tragic accident occurred when a car and a scooter collided: both drivers had entered the intersection on a yellow light, each hoping to make it through in time.

These stories form the basis of the documentary film "One Second" by director Vít Klusák. "The story of a specific person who made a mistake behind the wheel — one that is, unfortunately, usually tolerated — with tragic consequences, hits much closer to home than scrolling through an incident report," the director commented. He said this is precisely why the film is built around real fates rather than dry statistics.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz