On Monday (17.03.2025), Police Commissioner Ursula Tomahogh and the Head of the Traffic Directorate, Police Chief Superintendent Stefan Boese, presented Hagen's traffic accident statistics for the year 2024.
The most important facts at a glance:
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In 2024, a total of five people were killed in road accidents in Hagen. That is two fewer road deaths than in the previous year. All of the accidents had different causes and occurred at different locations.
- 23 motorcyclists, 15 fewer than in the previous year, were involved in road accidents in Hagen in 2024. Of these, one rider was killed, another seriously injured and 21 slightly injured.
- 13 illegal motor vehicle races were recorded by police officers in Hagen in 2024.
- Police officers recorded 156 cases of driving under the influence of cannabis. Despite legalization, this is three more cases than in the previous year.
- In relation to the number of inhabitants, the probability of being involved in a traffic accident in Hagen remains low.
- The total number of traffic accidents fell by 239 to 7,785 in 2024 (previous year: 8,024). At the same time, traffic density in the urban area remained high due to the closure/blasting of the Rahmedetal bridge, among other things.
- The popularity of pedelecs, e-scooters and bicycles continues to grow. Fortunately, the accident figures in Hagen are still very low. 45 cyclists, 32 pedelec riders and 15 drivers of small electric vehicles were injured in traffic accidents on Hagen's roads in 2024.
- In order to further reduce the number of accidents in Hagen and draw attention to the main causes of accidents, the Hagen police carry out prevention measures throughout the year, which are aimed at all age groups and genders.
- The monitoring of road traffic and associated repressive measures are implemented consistently throughout Hagen.
The Hagen figures for 2024 in detail
The Hagen police recorded a total of 7,785 traffic accidents in the city in 2024. Compared to the previous year (8,024), the number fell by 239 traffic accidents. Most of these were accidents with material damage in which no one was injured. It should be noted that the total number of traffic accidents in Hagen remains at a low level. At the same time, traffic density in the urban area is high due to the construction work on the Rahmedetal bridge. The Rummenohl and Dahl districts are particularly affected.
Five fatalities - two fewer than in the previous year
"Unfortunately, we have to say that five people were killed in traffic accidents in Hagen in 2024. There are no similarities between the individual accidents. The accident locations also differ from one another. We can therefore report two fewer road deaths compared to the previous year," explains Stefan Boese, Head of the Traffic Directorate, adding: "I would like to emphasize at this point that every person who dies as a result of a road accident is one too many. Reducing this sad figure is the top priority of our intensive and daily road safety work."
Total number of injuries down
The total number of people injured last year fell by 21 to 664 (previous year: 685). Of these, 606 people were slightly injured (previous year: 609) and 53 were seriously injured (previous year: 69). In addition, the police registered a total of 110 pedestrians injured on Hagen's roads in 2024. 99 of them suffered minor injuries, 9 were classified as seriously injured and two were fatally injured.
Fewer motorcycle accidents
Contrary to the national trend, the number of road accidents involving motorcycles (125 cc and above) has decreased in Hagen. While 51 motorcyclists were involved in road accidents in the previous year, this figure fell to 40 in 2024. 30 of these (previous year: 35) were slightly injured, four (previous year: 13) were seriously injured and one motorcyclist was fatally injured (previous year: 2).
Overall, the proportion of traffic accidents involving motorcycles in Hagen fell from 10 percent in 2023 to 8 percent in 2024.
13 prohibited motor vehicle races - far-reaching legal options
In the Hagen city area, police officers recorded a total of 13 cases of prohibited motor vehicle races in 2024, eleven of which were so-called "individual races". It is important to note that the offense of Section 315 d StGB can also be committed by a single driver. Any motor vehicle driver who drives at an inappropriate speed, in gross violation of traffic regulations and recklessly in order to achieve the highest possible speed is liable to prosecution. This can be the case, for example, if a driver evades a police check by driving away and a pursuit ensues. Seven of the eleven "individual races" took the form of such a pursuit. The police measures following a prohibited race are far-reaching and include the seizure or confiscation of the participants' driving licenses, vehicles and cell phones. "We take decisive action against speeders and use all legal options. Prohibited motor vehicle races are not only life-threatening for the participants, but also for bystanders. Anyone who takes part in a race in which a person is killed can be charged with murder," explains Police Commissioner Tomahogh, pointing out that there is no speeding scene in Hagen and therefore no problem in this regard.
Pedelecs and e-scooters remain popular - slight increase in accident figures
The use of pedelecs, e-scooters and bicycles continued to grow in popularity in 2024. Despite this, fortunately only a slight increase in the number of accidents was recorded for Hagen. They remain at a low level. In 2024, a total of 45 cyclists were injured in road accidents (previous year: 41), four of them seriously and 41 slightly. A total of 32 pedelec riders were registered in accidents (previous year: 23), of which 9 were seriously injured and 23 were slightly injured. For small electric vehicles, which also include e-scooters, the Hagen police recorded 15 traffic accidents with injuries in 2024 (previous year: 6). In 13 cases, the victims were slightly injured, once seriously and one e-scooter driver died in a traffic accident.
Slight increase in the number of children injured
The number of children injured in road traffic increased by five to 61 for 2024. Nine of them had an accident on the way to school. Of the 61 children, 23 were pedestrians and 28 were passengers in motor vehicles.
Clearance rate for hit-and-run accidents remains high
When looking at the figures for hit-and-run accidents, i.e. cases in which those involved in an accident left the scene without permission, a decrease of 22 cases to 1,762 was recorded for road accidents with property damage in 2024. The clearance rate has risen once again and now stands at 44 percent. This means that the Hagen police managed to solve 771 hit-and-run accidents involving property damage. The number of hit-and-run accidents with personal injury increased by one case to 51 accidents in 2024. At the same time, the clearance rate for this type of traffic accident rose by three percentage points to 73 percent.
"Leaving the scene of an accident without permission is a criminal offense that can be punished with a fine or even imprisonment. I am therefore pleased about the high clearance rate and appeal to all citizens to inform the police in a low-threshold manner if they observe a hit-and-run accident," said Ursula Tomahogh to the citizens of Hagen.
Cannabis legalization has so far had no impact on the number of accidents
In 2024, police officers recorded a total of 156 driving under the influence of cannabis on Hagen's roads. That is three more than in the previous year. There was an increase from seven (2023) to eleven (2024) in traffic accidents in which at least one person was under the influence of drugs (not just cannabis). The entry into force of the Consumer Cannabis Act on 01.04.2024 has therefore not yet had any impact on the development of accident figures in Hagen.
Traffic safety work will be adapted to the trends
In order to keep the number of traffic accidents in Hagen at a low level and combat the serious consequences of accidents, intensive monitoring of road traffic, including repressive measures and prevention work in all age groups, will continue to take place in 2025. The Hagen police will continue to actively support road safety campaigns through press and public relations work and disseminate corresponding messages across different media. In connection with the nationwide #LEBEN week, various control campaigns were accompanied via social media. Contact was sought with followers and so-called "question stickers" offered the opportunity for direct exchange.
In response to the ever-increasing popularity of pedelecs and e-scooters, the road safety advisors at Hagen police are offering corresponding driver safety training courses. These are free of charge and are aimed at young and old alike. An e-scooter-only training course was already offered during the last fall vacations. The road safety advisors are already planning a joint pedelec and e-scooter training course at the youth traffic school on Ischeland for the upcoming Easter vacations. The exact dates are yet to be announced. The Hagen police use state-of-the-art technology for the many prevention offers, which also take place at Hagen schools, and use VR glasses, among other things, to sensitize participants to the dangers of road traffic.
"The many positive responses to our prevention offerings encourage us to continue and further expand this important part of our road safety work. We want to ensure that people are even more aware of road traffic and make it clear to them that every road accident has a cause and is preventable. I am pleased that we are able to continually adapt our road safety work to developments in accident figures and trends in the type of traffic involvement. This enables us to carry out target group-oriented prevention work and reduce the number of accidents," says Police Chief Superintendent Stefan Boese.