The most dangerous traffic situation imaginable: one second, one bang, a rain of metal. Two perfectly good cars have become piles of scrap. On the test track of the crash test service in Münster, parts are scattered everywhere and oil is leaking. The two vehicles collided head-on at one hundred kilometers per hour and the dummies inside had to be cut out. If they were real people, both drivers would have been fatally injured.

The crash test was intended to show how devastating accidents can be when driving in the wrong direction. The General Association of German Insurers (GDV) previously published the first large-scale study on the phenomenon. “The wrong-way driving is the most dangerous traffic situation imaginable,” says Siegfried Brockmann, head of accident research at GDV. 99 people were killed in 224 accidents investigated. “An insane rate for every normal accident.” 207 people were seriously injured and 210 were slightly injured.

Credits

Einfach mal eben wenden, 2023
Client — Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung
Photo editor — Jana Mucke
Text — David Baldysiak