According to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday, child traffic fatalities and injuries in Germany rose substantially in the most recent reporting period. Over the last year, a child in Germany was injured or killed in traffic accidents, on average, every 18 minutes. In 2025 specifically, approximately 29,270 children under the age of 15 were involved in traffic accidents.
This figure represents a seven percent increase in casualties compared to 2024, when 27,260 children were involved in incidents. More concerningly, the number of children killed rose significantly, jumping from 53 in 2024 to 74 in 2025. This uptick follows a period of decline during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, after which the incidence of injuries and fatalities for young people has been steadily increasing again.
Death tolls increased across all age groups in 2025 compared to the previous year. Among those under six years old, fatalities rose sharply from 18 to 30. For children aged six to nine, the number increased from 15 to 17, while in the 10-to-14 age group, fatalities rose from 20 to 27.
Analyzing the modes of transport used, the steepest increase in fatal accidents was observed among children riding in passenger cars, which climbed from 21 to 31. Higher increases were also noted among children killed while cycling (up from 8 to 13) and those using e-scooters (rising from 0 to 4).
Regarding the timing of incidents, children between the ages of six and 14 are particularly vulnerable during weekday school times, specifically between 7:00 and 8:00 AM. This window, when many children are walking or biking to school, accounted for 12 percent of the injuries or fatalities among 24,010 affected children of that age last year. While fewer incidents occurred in the hours leading up to noon, the next highest percentage of victims occurred during the afternoon school pick-up times: 1:00-2:00 PM, 3:00-4:00 PM, and 4:00-5:00 PM, each representing 9 percent of the incidents.
When considering the primary means of transport for all children in 2025, the bicycle was the most common vehicle involved (34 percent), followed by cars (31 percent), pedestrians (20 percent), and e-scooters (8 percent). However, this picture shifts when looking at different age cohorts. Children under six are most frequently in vehicular accidents because they are often traveling in cars with attending adults, making up 55 percent of incidents in 2025. Conversely, as school-age children grow older, they become more independent in traffic. Consequently, among the injured, the proportion of cyclists and pedestrians increases with age. Specifically, children aged six to 14 were most frequently involved in accidents while on a bicycle (39 percent), followed by those in a car (26 percent), and pedestrians (19 percent).
