Motor vehicles over 3.5 tons turning right in urban areas have been required to drive at walking speed since the most recent amendment to the German Road Traffic Act. After all, turning accidents between trucks and cyclists and/or pedestrians repeatedly lead to serious injuries or even death. Legislation defines walking speed as 4 to 7 or a maximum of 11 kilometers per hour.
The white truck from Aachen, which is just leaving the traffic circle in Troisdorf-Spich with momentum, is obviously traveling much faster. The trained eyes of Vanessa Göbel and Guido Frackenpohl are not the only ones to see this immediately. The two senior police officers from the traffic service of the Rhine-Sieg district police authority wave the driver out. He is aware of his guilt, he was "swimming with the traffic", he says, referring to the enormous time pressure. "We've stepped up this type of monitoring considerably for some time now," reports Göbel, as she stops one of the many parcel delivery drivers who travel between the large industrial estates in the area. The 43-year-old always has an information sheet with corresponding instructions for the drivers with her. "We want to raise awareness of how dangerous the situation is." The first results of the increased control pressure are already noticeable. "Thanks to our regular operations, the situation has improved significantly," says Guido Frackenpohl (35). "You can tell that vehicles are driving more cautiously, drivers are expecting to be checked and are paying more attention to their speed."
Such monitoring, as takes place in the Rhein-Sieg district and in many other police authorities throughout the country, is a focal point of the new "specialist traffic strategy", which has been in force since January 1, 2024. It is something of a guard rail for the 47 district police authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia for greater road safety. It was developed under the leadership of the traffic department in the Ministry of the Interior by police officers who deal with traffic accidents and their consequences on a daily basis.
The overarching goal of all measures: fewer deaths and serious injuries on the roads. To achieve this, two crucial points are being addressed: before and after the traffic accident or offense. "With the strategic reorientation in the traffic sector of the NRW police, we want to combat traffic accidents in a targeted manner through traffic monitoring and prevention," emphasizes Kerstin Hassel from the "Police Traffic Matters" department in the Ministry of the Interior. The aim is to effectively protect vulnerable and unprotected road users in particular. "We are also breaking new ground in traffic accident recording, processing, investigations and victim protection. Our aim is to consistently punish offenders and to investigate and prevent aggressive road traffic offenses." According to Hassel, the new specialist strategy provides the "broad framework". The local authorities can and should fill it with life in their daily work.
An example from Cologne shows how the new approach helps. Traffic Commissioner's Office 2 is responsible for all traffic accidents involving personal injury in the Cologne/Leverkusen area and on the surrounding freeways. The starting point is on-site investigations into hit-and-run accidents involving personal injury. "Every day, two members of staff from our traffic police department form a special team that goes out in the event of an accident and supports the police officers who are first at the scene of the accident with the field investigations," explains head of the police department Fabian Golde (41). "We interview witnesses, secure evidence, evaluate video surveillance and clean door handles." The increased (and above all early) presence is intended to help find the crucial pieces of evidence to solve crimes.
The fact that this theory works in practice was recently demonstrated during an operation in Cologne-Niehl, among other places. The initial situation: following an emergency call about an accident, the patrol cars found a seriously injured person. The initial information provided by three witnesses - a bus driver, a Sprinter driver and a local resident - was not very helpful. Fabian Golde: "Our special service then spoke to the trio of witnesses again in detail. It turned out that the resident had heard a muffled noise shortly before the accident. When she looked out of the window, she saw a man talking wildly on the phone. Her description matched the Sprinter driver exactly." A detailed inspection of the vehicle subsequently revealed traces on the underbody of the Sprinter that indicated an accident. The vehicle was then impounded and the former witness became a suspect as the investigation continued.
"The new strategy spurs us on to take immediate action, to go out and do our work directly on site," emphasizes Nina Bonneß, case officer in Fabian Goldes VK 2 in the cathedral city. The support of the emergency services is well received in the stations. "We work closely together, exchange ideas and give each other suggestions. Nothing motivates more than joint success." The 36-year-old is also part of the "Quote" investigation team at the traffic commissioner's office. This group reviews old cases of traffic accidents involving personal injury and hit-and-runs in order to gain new insights. Bonneß: "In addition to our day-to-day work, we are currently looking at all 660 road traffic accidents involving personal injury and hit-and-runs in our operational area in 2023 in order to identify possible quality deficiencies or insufficient investigations." By the end of the year, a kind of manual, a "toolbox", is to be created in this way, with the help of which the quality of accident investigation and processing - and thus ultimately the clearance rate - is to be (further) increased.
From follow-up back to prevention. Traffic light monitoring has also been included in the "specialist traffic strategy". This new focus is not only intended to increase the protection of vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists. It is also intended to combat the tendency of drivers to ignore red lights. Police Chief Superintendent Vivien Lamers and Police Superintendent Michael Gataulin have therefore positioned themselves with their emergency vehicle, slightly undercover, at a busy junction in Bergisch Gladbach. Last year, the city in the Bergisches Land region alone recorded 16 red light violations resulting in accidents, five of which caused injuries, some of them serious.
The two officers from the watch and change service of the local police station have barely positioned their vehicle when a black BMW speeds through the "dark red" traffic lights. The driver immediately knows what it's all about. He is in a hurry, has left too late and does not want to give any further details. He follows the "traffic didactic conversation" with 28-year-old Lamers and her colleague more on the sidelines. Whether it was "only" a normal or a "qualified" red light violation (where the traffic light was red for longer than one second) will be revealed by a detailed analysis of Vivien Lamers' cell phone recording. What stops you immediately: The "by-catch" in such traffic light monitoring is enormous. Within a few minutes, a woman with a cell phone to her ear, a truck driver typing on his cell phone and an elderly man not wearing a seatbelt pass by the police station. "Of course, the main aim is to eliminate one of the main causes of accidents by combating red light violations," emphasizes Vivien Lamers. "However, it is just as important that we keep up the pressure of enforcement," adds Michael Gataulin. "In road traffic, the feeling should prevail that it is better to drive in accordance with the regulations, otherwise there will be consequences, i.e. penalties." The 24-year-old has barely finished his sentence when a red convertible accelerates again and speeds through the intersection. Needless to say: The car and the traffic lights are the same color.
