Lowest number of traffic fatalities since 2015

Last year, 528 people died in traffic accidents in the Netherlands - the lowest number since 2015, when 621 people died. The number of people killed in accidents with cars or bicycles decreased last year, but the number killed on motorcycles and mopeds increased, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. Safe traffic association VVN thinks that the number of deaths on the roads can decrease more quickly.

"In 2021, 427 men died in traffic, 26 fewer than in 2020. In 2021 there were 155 road deaths among women. In 2020 there were 157," CBS said. According to the stats office, it is hard to say exactly what caused the decrease. A spokesperson called it "logical" that reduced traffic due to coronavirus restrictions played a role. According to him, there may also be a connection with campaigns against driving under the influence, for example.

Most of the victims were cyclists or in a car. 42 motorcyclists, 49 moped riders, 43 pedestrians, and 32 scooter drivers died on the Dutch roads last year. Half of the victims were 60 or older.

Most fatal accidents, 326, involved a collision with a moving vehicle. "The other 256 road deaths (44 percent) were due to a single-vehicle traffic accident, 26 percent had a fatal traffic accident without a collision." This concerns, for example, people who fell from their bicycles or motorcycles. 18 percent of victims died in a collision with a solid object like a tree.

Safe traffic association Veilg Verkeer Nederland (VVN) thinks more targeted measures are needed to reduce the number of road deaths more quickly. And that includes lowering the speed limits on highways and provincial roads. "25 percent of road deaths or on an N-road," a spokesperson said. The use of alcohol and drugs must also be reduced, as must the use of mobile phones while behind the wheel.

The number of road deaths would also fall if people over 60 wear bicycle helmets, the spokesperson said. Half of the road deaths last year fell in this age group. They die relatively often in one-sided bicycle accidents "partly because they have more difficulty keeping their balance," the spokesperson said.