Monday, May 26
Diplomat disasters: Berlin sees rise in accidents involving official vehicles
Last year, 18,288 traffic violations were reported by the city of Berlin involving vehicles with diplomatic licence plates. Speeding, illegal parking, hit-and-runs – the catch is that no matter what offence the driver commits, they cannot be prosecuted. Diplomats and embassy staff enjoy immunity from such infractions, so if you see a car driving erratically with a licence plate starting with “0”, steer clear.
There are 2,500 diplomatic vehicles registered in Berlin. The country with the most is the United States, who have 230 cars in the city, followed by Russia with 150 and China with 120. But which country’s diplomats are the most dangerous on the road? In 2024, that dubious honour appears to belong to Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials committed 1,225 traffic violations last year, followed by US embassy staff with 1,162. After that came Iraq (850), Turkey (496), and Azerbaijan (482).
The number of traffic violations committed by diplomatic vehicles increased by ten percent compared to 2023, according to Berlin police. While most of these offences are minor, 48 traffic accidents involving diplomatic vehicles were recorded in 2024, 19 of them involving injuries. One person was killed.
Shockingly, it also appears that embassy staff and diplomats almost always flee the scene following an accident. This is a criminal offence – but again, diplomatic immunity applies. In more than half of the accidents caused by diplomatic vehicles last year, the drivers committed a hit-and-run.
Those with longer memories may recall that back in 2017, a cyclist was killed in Neukölln when a Saudi diplomat opened the door of his Porsche directly into the cyclist’s path. The 55-year-old victim was rushed to hospital following the accident, but died of his injuries.
