Father’s Day in Accident Calendar: Statistics show increased alcohol risk. – Teknomers

Life-threatening conditions on holidays?
Why the risk of accidents increases on Ascension Day

28.05.2025, 17:00 Uhr
Listen to the article

No day of the year is more dangerous than Ascension Day – measured by the number of traffic accidents under the influence of alcohol. Father’s Day consistently emerges from official accident statistics with particularly high figures. A significant factor is the weather.

At the end of May, Germany is heading towards one of the most accident-prone days of the year: On Ascension Day, the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents is consistently exceptionally high. In the previous year, for example, the official accident statistics recorded 287 alcohol-related traffic accidents nationwide on that day. Thus, there were as many accidents under the influence of alcohol on Father’s Day as on any other day of the year. It is to be feared that this pattern will repeat itself this Thursday.

For comparison: Throughout the year, there is an average of about 95 traffic accidents per day in Germany in which at least one of the involved persons was under the influence of alcohol.

In the calendar view of German accident statistics, the concentration of alcohol-related accidents on weekends and holidays is easily recognizable over multiple years. Overall, the Federal Statistical Office recorded approximately 34,700 alcohol-related accidents in 2024, according to preliminary evaluations. In 17,016 of these events, individuals were injured. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 8 percent. On Father’s Day 2024, there were injuries in 204 of the 287 alcohol accidents; one person lost their life. Final data for 2024 is still pending.

The seasonal peaks on Father’s Day have several causes: On Ascension Day – traditionally celebrated 39 days after Easter – the effects of a nationwide holiday coincide with very specific regional customs. Men’s groups across the country gather to enjoy the day with drinks outdoors. Hiking trails and excursion venues fill up; the day off and the often mild spring temperatures generally lure more people outside. If the sun shines, even a beer or two can quickly go to one’s head.

“The combination is incredibly dangerous”

“The dangers posed by alcohol in road traffic continue to be underestimated by many people,” says Fani Zaneta, a traffic safety officer at the TÜV Association, regarding the increased risk. “On weekends and holidays, people are out and about, want to celebrate sociably, and drink alcohol,” says Zaneta. “The combination of cheerful moods, alcohol consumption, and overconfidence is incredibly dangerous on the road.” The effects are well known: More days with a regularly above-average number of alcohol-related accidents include New Year’s and Labor Day on May 1.

On Father’s Day, several factors usually come together: On May 18, 2023, for example, the Ascension Day two years ago, authorities nationwide even registered 340 traffic accidents involving at least one intoxicated road participant. Weather conditions appear to play a significant role in accidents: In the weather records from 2023, Ascension Day was noted as a “friendly day,” with weather conditions in Germany being “largely dry and particularly sunny in the west.”

The year before, on May 26, 2022, there were 319 accidents. The meteorological archives recorded for that date only “highs between 15 and 23 degrees” and an “overall rather cloudy day.” In 2021, Ascension Day, May 13, saw comparatively few alcohol-related traffic accidents recorded – just 182. However, the weather was not the dominating factor that year: Under the corona restrictions at the time, there were generally fewer day-trippers in Germany.

New weather forecast for Thursday

For the upcoming Ascension Day this Thursday, ntv meteorologists initially expect pleasant temperatures between 17 and 24 degrees. The weather forecast for the nationwide public holiday has turned out somewhat friendlier and drier than previously predicted: “Cloudy in the northwest and some rain in the afternoon,” said the weather editorial team, while states like Bavaria may still experience “frequent showers.” “In between, it should be pleasant and often dry, with the sun appearing most frequently along the Baltic Sea.” The weather may continue to clear.

However, with early summer temperatures, dangers lurk on Father’s Day also off the road: A reckless leap into a gravel pit, river, or swimming lake, for example, can quickly put intoxicated individuals in acute life-threatening situations. The number of fatal accidents in German waters rose last year, according to data from the DLRG water rescue service, to a total of 411. That was 31 more drowning fatalities than the previous year. The DLRG does not release daily numbers; however, approximately 75 percent of the individuals involved in swimming accidents are men. In the DLRG statistics, incident numbers regularly increase as warm weather begins and continue well into the summer.