AUSTRIA: Businesses launch fight against fat

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SALZBURG / Austrian Times / Business / October 19, 2010

Dozens of companies across Austria have vowed to fight their employees’ obesity.

Karin Hofer of the Salzburg Medical Insurance (SGKK) said Monday 70 firms based in the province have joined SGKK’s health awareness programmes.

Hofer told the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper that around one in three of these companies were focusing on obesity as the leading topic.  © europics.at


She explained that one of their projects gives staff the chance to lose weight on company expenses during work time.

"Obesity causes enormous costs for the economy and the society," Friedrich Hoppichler of the Austrian Adiposity Society said in an interview with the daily newspaper. He also warned that overweight people out of work might face disadvantages when looking for a new job.

Fifty-seven per cent of Austrian men and 43 per cent of Austrian women are overweight, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Research by ISMB Austria, a medical and sports consulting firm, found that 44 per cent of the some 1,100 examined secondary school students in Vienna had a body fat percentage of more than 20 per cent.

ISMB Austria director Hans Holdhaus warned: "We are becoming a sick society."

He claimed health problems that used to occur at ages 60 to 80 would soon affect people at the age of just 30, 40 or 50.

"Physical activity is the key. Today’s society doesn’t have as much of a nutrition problem as it has a sport issue. Physical activity can compensate for many dietary errors," he explained.

Source: Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Aging population increases Austria's care costs

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VIENNA, Austria / Austrian Broadcasting Station / Xinhua / September 4, 2010

Austria's expenditure on social services was rising quickly as its population aged, the Austrian Broadcasting Station reported September 3, says news from Xinhua.

Currently, home care services totaled 14.5 million hours each year, with an annual cost of 1.3 billion euros (1.67 billion U.S. dollars), according to the report.

By 2020, the time and expense required for such services would increase to 23 million hours and 2 billion euros (2.57 billion dollars) per year, the broadcaster said.

The number of nursing stations for the aged would also increase during that period, by 15,000 to 77,000. Austrians can access nursing care provided by social insurance when they are not able to take care of themselves.

Statistics showed the vast majority of those needing home care were elderly citizens, and the aging population was increasing the country's social care burden, the report said.

The broadcaster said the number of people older than 75 in Austria was forecast to exceed one million by 2030, accounting for one eighth of the total population.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

Copyright © 2000-2010 Xinhua News Agency.

AUSTRIA: Second case of allergy-triggering painkiller treatment

. SALZBURG, Austria / The Austrian Times / April 6, 2010 Criticism of doctors at a Salzburg clinic is increasing after a second patient was given a drug he was allergic to. Peter Gerner, head of the anaesthetic and intensive care department at Salzburg’s Landeskrankenhaus clinic announced last week hospital bosses opted for self-indictment after a 80-year-old woman died when her post-surgery suffering was treated with the painkiller Novalgin – despite her informing staff about her allergy upon arrival. Now Salzburg-based Kurt Bauer said he considered himself lucky to be alive after undergoing surgery at the hospital. Bauer told the ORF yesterday (Mon) that he was given an infusion of Novalgin when part of his lung was removed by Landeskrankenhaus Salzburg surgeons last year. "I suffered an extraordinary attack of breathing difficulties one day after the operation. I was unable to breath but managed to scream," he said. Bauer found that his pain had been treated with Novalgin at the clinic when he checked documents regarding his stay at hospital. He said: "I suffer a syndrome which enables my bone marrow to produce red blood cells. A doctor said she must ‘totally apologise’ to me in an examination a while later. She admitted I was given two Novalgin infusions despite my clinical record mentioned my disease." Officials refused to comment on Bauer’s allegations, but announced a statement for later today. Landeskrankenhaus Salzburg bosses revealed last week they would introduce a fully-automatic "e-medication" computer system following the death of the 80-year-old woman. The system will record all information about a patient’s disease and will warn doctors of possible difficulties, they said, stressing that the clinic would be the first in the country to use such a system. [rc] Source: The Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Older people may benefit from being slightly overweight

. VIENNA, Austria / The Austrian Times / Health / March 15, 2010 Being slightly overweight may protect older people from potentially dangerous infections, a study by Vienna Medical University’s Institute for Social Medicine has concluded. A team led by Thomas Dorner conducted the study. He said today: "It is known that being underweight or obese poses a higher risk for older patients. Our study is a little stone that fills in part of the mosaic." The team analysed data about 619 residents with an average age of 87.6 at a large Vienna pensioners’ home, comparing body weight to frequency of infection. People with a body-mass index (BMI) lower than 20 had an average of 62 per cent more infections than overweight people with a BMI between 24 and 27.9. Patients of normal weight with a BMI between 20 and 23.9 had 84 per cent more infections and the obese, with a BMI over 28, had 54 per cent more infections. The team said "the results show both below average weight and obesity in old people’s homes lead to higher rates of infection. The most-dangerous conditions are dementia, circulatory problems and lung infections." [rc] Source: The Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Millionaire gives away fortune which made him miserable

. LONDON, England / The Telegraph / Europe / Austria / February 8, 2010 Austrian millionaire Karl Rabeder is giving away every penny of his £3 million fortune after realising his riches were making him unhappy. By Henry Samuel in Paris Mr Rabeder, 47, a businessman from Telfs is in the process of selling his luxury 3,455 sq ft villa with lake, sauna and spectacular mountain views over the Alps, valued at £1.4 million. Also for sale is his beautiful old stone farmhouse in Provence with its 17 hectares overlooking the arrière-pays, on the market for £613,000. Already gone is his collection of six gliders valued at £350,000, and a luxury Audi A8, worth around £44,000. Austrian millionaire Karl Rabeder, 47, is giving away his fortune. Mr Rabeder has also sold the interior furnishings and accessories business – from vases to artificial flowers – that made his fortune. "My idea is to have nothing left. Absolutely nothing," he told The Daily Telegraph. "Money is counterproductive – it prevents happiness to come." Instead, he will move out of his luxury Alpine retreat into a small wooden hut in the mountains or a simple bedsit in Innsbruck. His entire proceeds are going to charities he set up in Central and Latin America, but he will not even take a salary from these. "For a long time I believed that more wealth and luxury automatically meant more happiness," he said. "I come from a very poor family where the rules were to work more to achieve more material things, and I applied this for many years," said Mr Rabeder. But over time, he had another, conflicting feeling. "More and more I heard the words: 'Stop what you are doing now – all this luxury and consumerism – and start your real life'," he said. "I had the feeling I was working as a slave for things that I did not wish for or need. I have the feeling that there are lot of people doing the same thing." He is in the process of selling his luxury 3,455 sq ft villa with lake, sauna and sepectacular mountain views over the Alps, valued at £1.4 million. However, for many years he said he was simply not "brave" enough to give up all the trappings of his comfortable existence. The tipping point came while he was on a three-week holiday with his wife to islands of Hawaii. "It was the biggest shock in my life, when I realised how horrible, soulless and without feeling the five star lifestyle is," he said. "In those three weeks, we spent all the money you could possibly spend. But in all that time, we had the feeling we hadn't met a single real person – that we were all just actors. The staff played the role of being friendly and the guests played the role of being important and nobody was real." He had similar feelings of guilt while on gliding trips in South America and Africa. "I increasingly got the sensation that there is a connection between our wealth and their poverty," he said. Suddenly, he realised that "if I don't do it now I won't do it for the rest of my life". Mr Rabeder decided to raffle his Alpine home, selling 21,999 lottery tickets priced at just £87 each. The Provence house in the village of Cruis is on sale at the local estate agent. All the money will go into his microcredit charity, which offers small loans to Latin America and builds development aid strategies to self-employed people in El Salvador, Honduras, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile. Since selling his belongings, Mr Rabeder said he felt "free, the opposite of heavy". But he said he did not judge those who chose to keep their wealth. "I do not have the right to give any other person advice. I was just listening to the voice of my heart and soul." [rc] © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2010

AUSTRIA: Computer pioneer Zemanek to turn 90

. VIENNA, Austria / Austrian Times / December 29, 2009 By David Rogers Austrian computer pioneer Heinz Zemanek who developed the first complete transistorised computer on the European continent will celebrate his 90th birthday on 1 January 2010. Zemanek became famous for developing the "Mailüfterl" computer in the 1950s which he designed and built with his own money since he had no official support. Austrian computer pioneer Heinz Zemanek who developed the first complete transistorised computer on the European continent will celebrate his 90th birthday on 1 January 2010. Mailüfterl, which is on display at Vienna’s Technical Museum, was the first such computer on the European continent and one of the first in the entire world. Zemanek was then involved in programming from 1958 to 1961 and with the subsequent transition from hardware to software. In 1961, he and his team moved to a Vienna laboratory that computer firm IBM had offered them and concentrated on programming language and created the "Vienna Definition Language," at the time the biggest programming language, and later the "Vienna Definition Method." He was named an IBM-Fellow in 1976, one of the few Europeans to be given the honour. Zemanek also worked as a professor at Vienna’s Technical University (TU) and was president of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), has been retired since 1985. He has received numerous rewards and honours during his life. [rc] Copyright: © AN News and Pictures

AUSTRIA: Judge ignores pensioner's ''for love's sake" plea

. GRAZ, Austria / The Austrian Times / December 12, 2009 By Lisa Chapman A 65-year-old Graz man who robbed a bank to pay for therapy for a friend’s multiple sclerosis has been jailed. The man, who lives in a nursing home, told Graz Criminal Court Thursday he had robbed the bank in the city at gun-point last month and taken 15,000 Euros which he planned to use for medical treatment for a female friend. Photo: © Polizei Steiermark But judge Erik Nauta ignored a tearful defence from his lawyers and jailed him for four years. [rc] Source: Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: First neurological rehabilitation clinic in Burgenland to open soon

. KITTSEE, Burgenland / Austrian Times / December 7, 2009 By William Green Construction of the first neurological rehabilitation clinic in Burgenland at Kittsee is scheduled to begin before Christmas, it has been announced. Nursing home operator SeneCura will is to build the clinic and a health hotel with 100 beds. Burgenland Social Democratic (SPÖ) Governor Hans Niessl said today (Mon) the project would create 100 new jobs. SenaCura head Rudolf Öhlinger said: "Patients will be freed of pain as quickly as possible and returned to daily life in a highly-modern clinic at the level of a hotel." Burgenland People’s Party (ÖVP) councillor Michaela Resetar said the provincial government had earmarked a 2.5 million Euro-subsidy for the clinic in promotion of tourism. The project, which will cost an estimated 15.3 million Euros, is scheduled for completion in 2011. [rc] 2008 – 2009 Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: At 70 Dagmar Koller is a woman of many parts

. Dagmar Koller is actress, singer, dancer, TV show host, city mayor and wife of Austria's political leaders. . VIENNA, Austria / Austrian Times / Panorama / August 26, 2009 Dagmar Koller turns 70 By Lisa Chapman Well-known Austrian actress, singer and dancer Dagmar Koller celebrates her 70th birthday today (Weds). Koller has appeared in a number of musicals, operettas and films and has hosted the TV show "Hallo wie geht’s?" (Hi, how’s it going?) since 1989. Koller, who married former Vienna Social Democratic (SPÖ) Mayor Helmut Zilk in 1978, was born in Carinthia. She studied singing and dancing at Vienna’s Academy for Music and the Performing Arts and made her breakthrough as Princess Mi in Franz Lehar’s operetta "Land des Lächelns" in 1964 in Hamburg. She also appeared in "Irma la Douche," "My Fair Lady" and "Kiss Me Kate" in Germany and in "Man from La Mancha," "Sorbas" and "Smiles of a Summer Night" at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, as well as in several films of operettas, including "Wiener Blut." Koller said recently that the death of Zilk last year from cardiac failure had been a crushing psychological blow. "We had a great love," she declared, adding that she was a sad widow but would become a merry widow after her year of mourning ended on 24 October. "I am healthy and will again be merry, but only after a year of mourning," she said. Koller added she felt like a 55-year-old and did ballet training every morning to stay fit. Zilk was one of Austria’s most-influential politicians and regarded as one of the opinion leaders in the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ). He was posthumously accused this past spring of having worked as a spy or informer for the secret service of the former Czechoslovakia. Documents revealed by magazine profil seemed to confirm speculation that Zilk had earned the equivalent of a few thousand Euros by informing the Communist country about what was going on in Austrian politics and the media in the 1960s. Zilk, who was working for national broadcaster ORF at the time, went on to become education minister and mayor of capital Vienna. [rc] Austrian Times Copyright: © AN News and Pictures

AUSTRIA: Leave us alone, F*cking community mayor pleads

. VIENNA, Austria / Austrian Times / panorama / July 29, 2009 By Thomas Hochwarter The Mayor of a community called Fucking has said residents want to be "left in peace" after they once again made international headlines. Fucking, a 100-people community which is part of the Upper Austrian town of Tarsdorf, has become an international sensation because of its name. © europics.at It has had 15 place name signs stolen in recent years by visitors and residents say dozens of buses packed with "tourists" regularly visit the town to have their picture taken next to the place name sign. But Mayor Franz Meindl told Austrian Times: "We don’t find it funny. We just want to be left alone." "There are all these stories all the time – especially in summer. Everybody writes what they want," the People’s Party (ÖVP) mayor added. He pledged: "Just leave us alone. We don’t harm anyone and just want to live in peace." Asked what he thought of the international fascination with the town’s name, he said: "I really don’t know. It is just the usual spelling of the word. I’m sure I would find many town names in Britain or somewhere else which sound funny when they are pronounced in German." And he said he would not consider changing the community’s name. He said: "There is nothing funny in the name to us and therefore I see no reason to change it. If other people laugh about it, there is nothing we can do. But we pronounce it differently in our dialect and it was never funny in any way." Mayor Meindl also rejected suggestions the community may have benefitted economically from people coming to see the signs. "I haven’t heard of a publican who had more guests because of the hype," he said.[rc] Source: Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Men outnumber women at heartbreak clinic

. VIENNA, Austria / The Austrian Times / July 28, 2009 By Lisa Chapman Lovesick men are outnumbering women 9 to 1, according to new figures from a clinic specialising in treating broken hearts. Baffled medical staff at the Relationship Crisis Clinic in Vienna announced 90 per cent of its patients during its first year of operation have been men. Clinic director, psychologist Birgit Maurer, said: "We thought when we opened our clinic that it would be mainly women. But in fact our clients are almost exclusively male." Counsellor Auguste Storkan added: "It seems as if men find it harder to deal with this than women." "They feel unable to cope but also don't have the chance like women to talk to their friends because of the shame often linked with a failed relationship. "If they mention it to their friends it's only in a superficial way and they desperately need someone to speak to," she added. The average age of patients is between 35 and 45 and most are successful career-driven executives who suddenly discover they are failures at relationships. The broken heart treatment sessions start off with a 90-minute consultation followed by repeated 50 minute sessions of advice and treatment. [rc] Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Karlheinz Böhm to be honoured for his ''Save the World' work

. VIENNA, Austria / The Austrian Times / July 21, 2009 By Lisa Chapman Karlheinz Böhm, born on 16 March 1928 in Darmstadt, Germany, is the son of conductor Karl Böhm. Austrian Karlheinz Böhm is to receive an award for his work in fighting poverty at the "Save the World" gala on Friday. The award in the category "Hunger and Poverty" will be given to him by his daughter during the event at the unused nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf, Lower Austria for his charitable work in Ethiopia. Böhm founded the organisation "Menschen für Menschen" (People for People) in 1981 and runs it with his wife Almaz. More than four million people have been helped through rural-development projects initiated by the group. Save the World awards will also be presented in other categories such as peace, security and ecology. Michael Jackson will receive a posthumous award in the "Heal the World" category for his charity work. His brother and former "Jackson 5" star Jermaine, 54, t, will accept the award on behalf of his brother. Jackson said: "I would like to thank everyone in Europe who loved Michael and is now mourning his death with us. At the 'Save the World Awards', we will once more celebrate together this unique man and artist." Jackson will sing Charlie Chaplin’s "Smile", the song he also sang at the memorial service that took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on 7 July. "It’s a song Michael loved and which I will especially dedicate to him on that night," Jackson said. Karlheinz Böhm, born on 16 March 1928 in Darmstadt, Germany, is the son of conductor Karl Böhm. Böhm was an actor for many years, appearing in films such as "Peeping Tom," the three "Sissi" movies, "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm," "Magnificent Rebel" and "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." He also appeared in four films by New German Cinema director Rainer Werner Fassbinder: "Martha," "Effi Briest," "Faustrecht der Freiheit" (aka Fistfight of Freedom or Fox and His Friends), and "Mutter Küsters' Fahrt zum Himmel" (Mother Küsters' Trip to Heaven). Since 1981, Böhm has been actively involved in charitable work in Ethiopia. He has been married to Almaz Böhm, a native of Ethiopia, since 1991. They have two children, Nicolas, born in 1990, and Aida, born in 1993. Böhm has five other children from previous marriages. [rc] Copyright: © AN News and Pictures

AUSTRIA: Journalist to sue WHO and UN over 'mass murder plans'

. VIENNA, Austria / Austrian Times / July 21, 2009 By David Rogers An investigative journalist based in Austria is suing the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) over "biological terrorism" and "attempted mass murder." Jane Bürgermeister said what was going on was the biggest crime of humans' existence. Bürgermeister's appeal refers to a mass vaccination initiative by medical companies Baxter and Avir Green Hills Bio Technology. Bürgermeister, who is now suing - among others - Barack Obama, David Rockefeller, George Soros, Margaret Chan and David de Rothschild, said the companies were only eying an increase in profit. She said the goal of this "bio terrorism" was to erase the American people. She claimed a genetically-altered vaccination would lead to death. [rc] Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Old folks saved from drowning in Lower Austria

. VIENNA, Austria / Austrian Times / July 3, 2009 By Lisa Chapman Firemen saved 31 mostly bedridden people from possible drowning at an old people’s home in Lower Austria Thursday evening. Heavy rain had caused a brook in a woods behind the building in Maria Anzbach in St. Pölten district to become a raging torrent. Firemen called to the scene had to carry the 31 people from the ground floor to the first floor to save them from rapidly-rising water. Most of them had to spend the night on mattresses lying on the floor. Firemen saved 31 mostly bedridden people from possible drowning at an old-folks’ home in Lower Austria July 2 evening. © europics.at Vienna’s Central Agency for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) said at the time that more rain had fallen in one 72-hour period than the average for the month of June. [rc] Source: Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Pensioners get their own mobile phone rate

. VIENNA, Austria / Austrian Times / June 26,2009 By Thomas Hochwarter An Austrian mobile phone provider has launched a special cheap rate service for Old Aged Persons. T-Mobile Austria said yesterday (Thurs) their offer, launched in cooperation with the Hartlauer chain, allows elderly people to make calls free of charge to T-Mobile customers and landline numbers. The company added there was no basic fee until the end of the year and a monthly basic rate of just nine Euros after that. Hartlauer is also offering the free "Emporia Life Plus" mobile phone with the offer which is open to people aged 65 and older. [rc] Austrian Times Copyright: © AN News and Pictures

AUSTRIA: Pensioner loses fortune in lottery fraud

. SALZBURG, Austria / The Austrian Times / June 18, 2009 By Thomas Hochwarter A naïve pensioner lost almost 230,000 Euros after being told he had won a lottery – although he had never played in one. © europics.at It emerged yesterday (Weds) that the 61-year-old from Wagrain in the province of Salzburg had transferred 229,731 Euros for "administrative expenses" and taxes to a fake company called "Loteria Primitiva, International Lotto Commission, Madrid." The conmen wrote to the man, telling him he had won more than 600,000 Euros and the requested sum was needed before he could receive the money. The pensioner became suspicious after not getting anything back after a few transactions and stopped transferring any more money. But he started doing so again after being told the jackpot he had won had suddenly become worth 1.4 million Euros because of successful investment funds. The Austrian and Spanish police have started an investigation of the case. [rc] Source: Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Man drives 32 years without valid licence

. VIENNA, Austria / The Austrian Times / June 9, 2009 A builder who drove for more than thirty years without a legal licence is facing a hefty fine after he was caught trying to pass himself off as his dad, police said. The 55-year-old from Innviertel, Upper Austria, was stopped in a routine check yesterday (Mon) between Ried im Innkreis and the Innkreis motorway. But cops grew suspicious when he handed them a licence with a damaged photo. When they checked they found the licence belonged to the man’s father, who had the same name as him, and the man had been driving for 32 years without a licence after failing his driving test dozens of times as a 20-year-old. Police say the size of the fine could take into account all trips he made over the last 32 years without a valid licence. © 2008 Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Director Michael Haneke wins Cannes Palme d'Or for 'The White Ribbon'

. PETALING JAYA, Malaysia / The Sun Daily / May 26, 2009 The chilling village drama set before W W I by Austrian director Michael Haneke grabs the Cannes’ Palme d’Or By Andrew McCathie AUSTRIAN director Michael Haneke on Sunday won the Cannes Film Festival’s ­coveted Palme d’Or for best film for his movie Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon), a chilling story about rural Germany in the buildup to World War I, beating 19 others for the prize. But even in the tight race for the festival’s iconic Palme d’Or, the 67-year-old Haneke had already emerged as a favourite for the award for his austere black-and-white film, especially after missing out on Cannes’ top prize in 2005 for his thriller Hidden. Accepting the award, Haneke said he believed that happiness is a rare thing, “but now I can say, this is a moment in my life when I am really happy”. Austrian director Michael Haneke poses with the Palme d’Or award for the film Das Weisse Band (White Ribbon), at the awards ceremony during the 62nd International film festival in Cannes, southern France, Sunday, May 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan) The story of his film is based around a series of sinister and violent acts in the small north German Protestant village and eerily point to the rise of European fascism between the two world wars. At a gala ceremony in the French Riviera resort, the Cannes festival jury headed up by French actress Isabelle Huppert awarded the festival’s second prize, the Grand Prix to French director Jacques Audiard for his movie Un Prophete (A Prophet), a gripping account of the brutal prison education handed out to a young French Arab. Copyright© 2009 Sun Media Corporation Sdn.

AUSTRIA: Caricaturist Paul Flora dies in Innsbruck

. VIENNA, Austria / The Austrian Times / May 15, 2009 By Thomas Hochwarter Caricature artist Paul Flora has passed away aged 86 in Innsbruck, it was announced today. Flora, who would have turned 87 on 29 June, passed away last night in a clinic in the Tyrolean capital. Flora was one of Europe’s most profiled illustrators since the 1960s. He worked for British newspapers The Times and The Observer as well as for Germany’s Die Zeit. © Paul Flora He was hailed especially for his illustrations of political events but also enjoyed drawing animals and fellow Tyroleans who he would portray as grumpy. Flora was awarded the Great Honorary Silver Honour for Services for the Republic of Austria four years ago. Flora was born in Glurns, a small town in South Tyrol, Italy but moved to Innsbruck at the age of six. Asked about his childhood Flora once said he was "raised rather hastily and at the side" as one of six children. During his World War Two service for the German-Austrian Third Reich, Flora was arrested by US troops before returning to Innsbruck in May 1945. Source: Austrian Times

AUSTRIA: Elderly under higher road accident risk than kids

. VIENNA, Austria / Austrian Times / March 25, 2009 Pensioners are at higher risk of being involved in a traffic accident than young people, according to new research. Austrians older than 65 years of age have a 16-per-cent higher risk of becoming involved in a traffic accident than young people and the death rate among older drivers is significantly higher than among older pedestrians, according to a study by insurance group Allianz presented yesterday (Tues). The study also found older Austrians were most likely to be involved in traffic accidents in inner-city urban areas. In Europe as a whole, 8,000 seniors die annually in traffic accidents, according to the study. The UK, Sweden and Germany were the safest countries for old people, while the Baltic states, Poland and Greece the most-dangerous. Older Austrians are also among those injured or killed in hit-and-run traffic accidents. Austrian car club ÖAMTC recently reported the number of hit-and-run traffic accidents in Austria had been rising. The club said the number of such accidents had risen by five per cent from 1,969 in 2006 to 2,062 in 2007. The full total for 2008 hasn’t been released, but there were 1,581 between January and October last year. The club added the number of deaths in such accidents had risen to 12 during the first ten months of 2008 from eight in 2007. ÖAMTC traffic psychologist Marion Seidenberger said anxiety, stress and alcohol were the main reasons some drivers fled from the scene of an accident. Seidenberger said: "How a driver involved in an accident reacts can have life-and-death consequences for a victim." She noted leaving the scene of an accident was not a minor offence and people convicted of doing so could be sentenced to up to three years’ imprisonment. Hit-and-run accidents are only part of the problem of traffic safety in Austria, and no one is immune to becoming a victim, including children. Nine children are injured daily in traffic accidents in Austria, according to the Austrian Traffic Club (VCÖ). VCÖ employee Martin Blum said: "There is no reason for satisfaction. Ten children were killed and 2,866 injured in the 2,624 traffic accidents that occurred in the first ten months of 2008. The risk of accidents involving children remains too high." Blum added that 40 per cent of children injured in traffic accidents were passengers in cars. "Of course, it is a given that drivers of cars with children as passengers should drive more defensively and attentively. Experience shows, unfortunately, that has not been the case," he said. VCÖ is also calling for more pavements and zones of restricted traffic in urban areas, where 75 per cent of traffic accidents occur, and for traffic planning that would make roads and streets safer for children. Austrian Times Copyright: © AN News and Pictures