Traffic Accidents Cost Germany 7 Billion Euros Annually

A fatal collision between a tractor-trailer and a tour bus on
Interstate 380 near Mount Pocono, Pa., killed at least three people
Wednesday./(DAVID KIDWELL/AP)
A fatal collision between a tractor-trailer and a tour bus on Interstate 380 near Mount Pocono, Pa., killed at least three people Wednesday./(DAVID KIDWELL/AP)
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Traffic Accidents Cost Germany 7 Billion Euros Annually

A fatal collision between a tractor-trailer and a tour bus on
Interstate 380 near Mount Pocono, Pa., killed at least three people
Wednesday./(DAVID KIDWELL/AP)
A fatal collision between a tractor-trailer and a tour bus on Interstate 380 near Mount Pocono, Pa., killed at least three people Wednesday./(DAVID KIDWELL/AP)

German experts are trying to analyze the impact of traffic accidents’ huge cost on the budget of Berlin’s government. Although it is difficult to determine the final sum Germany pays each year, the total cost of traffic accidents - whether due to bicycles, motorcycles or various types of transport means- is estimated to reach billions of euros annually.

Veronica Templeman, an expert of traffic accidents and their causes, says the number of road deaths is continuously falling, mainly due to the safer and more sophisticated roads’ infrastructure thanks to today's technology.

Last year, for example, 3,214 casualties were recorded, with a decrease of 1.9% compared to 2016. In contrast, the number of wounded, whose injuries ranged from severe injuries, disabilities and minor injuries were about 400,000, with an increase of 0.8% compared to the previous year.

Over the past year, the police have recorded 2.6 million traffic accidents in general, up 2.8% from a year earlier. Among those accidents, some 2.3 million caused only material damages.

In the cases of casualties, whether death or injury, the cost of material compensation would be higher if the victim is a hard-to-replace experienced worker, in addition to the burden of the medical care services,
and treatment in hospitals, and all the psychological, physiological, and legal costs. The cost of a victim's death varies depending on the age group, efficiency and years of experience in the field of work.

The expert at the Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (PEST) estimates the financial losses of each victim of a traffic accident in Germany to be between 0.6 and 1.2 million euros, based on the abovementioned criteria.

By comparison, according to Thomas Foster, an expert at the institute, the full costs paid by the US Department of Transportation for each victim of a traffic accident in the United States attain about $1.25 million. This is roughly equivalent to the amount paid by Berlin’s government to each victim.

This cost reached NZ $4.18 million, or US $ 2.47 million in New Zealand last year. In Switzerland, traffic accidents last year caused 216 casualties, 15% less than a year earlier, and the financial losses amounted between 270 and 540 million euros.

Germany, according to the expert, remains among the countries paying the highest financial and economic costs as its traffic accidents in Europe, with the death of about 3,314 people in 2017, in addition to the various injuries and material losses, and the total financial losses exceed 7 billion euros.

According to Claudia Ray of the Federal Ministry of Transport, the cost of traffic accidents involving human and material losses in the European Union reached 100 billion euros last year. Among one million people there, 52 are killed every year, compared to 106 deaths in the United States, and an average of 174 deaths per year in the rest of the world.

Malta and Sweden are among the countries with the lowest rate of traffic accidents in Europe. Malta has 26 victims out of a million citizens a year, and Sweden has only 27 victims each year.

Back to Germany, 46% of the traffic accidents’ deaths were caused by vehicles, 17% by motorcycle, and 8% by bicycle.

According to the expert, medical, judicial and insurance agencies are the main beneficiaries of traffic accidents. As the trend of electric vehicles with less speed is rapidly spreading in Europe, Ray expects a fall in the number of traffic fatalities by more than 30% this year, which is a very good news for the German government.



Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
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Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File

Beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its US production, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday on social media.

The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its domestic beverages -- a sweetener that has long drawn criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement, AFP said.

"I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them -- You'll see. It's just better!"

The US president did not explain what motivated his push for the change, which would not impact his well-known favorite beverage, Diet Coke.

Since his return to the White House, Trump has re-installed a special button in the Oval Office which summons a helping of the sugar-free carbonated drink.

Coca-Cola did not immediately confirm the ingredient shift.

"We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon," the company said in a short statement.

HFCS became popular in the 1970s, with its use skyrocketing thanks to government subsidies for corn growers and high import tariffs on cane sugar.

Any shift away from corn is likely to draw backlash in the Corn Belt, a Midwestern region that has been a stronghold of support for Trump.

Both HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) are composed of fructose and glucose. However, they differ structurally: HFCS contains free (unbonded) fructose and glucose in varying ratios -- 55/45 in soft drinks -- while sucrose consists of the two sugars chemically bonded together.

These structural differences, however, don't appear to significantly affect health outcomes.

A 2022 review of clinical studies found no meaningful differences between HFCS and sucrose in terms of weight gain or heart health.

The only notable distinction was an increase in a marker of inflammation in people consuming HFCS. Overall, both sweeteners appear similarly impactful when consumed at equal calorie levels.

Despite this, Mexican Coke -- which is made with cane sugar -- is often sold at a premium in US stores and prized for its more "natural" flavor.

Trump's prized Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame -- a compound classified as a "possible carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).