Sharp increase in traffic accident fatalities

There are new concerns over traffic safety in the Netherlands after researchers found that 578 people died in traffic accidents last year, the highest number of victims in years. The figure was compiled by Smart Traffic Accident Reporting, or STAR, which works with statistics and research provided by several organizations, including government agencies, the police, and travel association ANWB.

Citing STAR's figures, the Telegraaf reported 491 traffic fatalities in 2021, and 496 in 2020. Before the coronavirus pandemic began, which kept more people off the roads, there were 522 traffic fatalities in 2019 and 534 in 2018.

However, figures provided by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), show traffic fatalities to be higher every single year. For example, in 2021, the organization counted 582 cases, and an average of 638 in each of the five years prior. The CBS only explicitly says it does not include cases of murder, manslaughter, and suicide, where STAR says it does not count any cases of intent at all in its data.

Additionally, the total number of deaths in 2022 traffic accidents can still rise higher this month. Both STAR and the CBS define a traffic fatality as someone who dies at the scene of a crash, or within 30 days from injuries caused by a traffic accident. STAR does not count cases of suicide, illness, or incidents that are intentional in its figures.

Not only did the number of fatalities rise to a record high, the number of road accidents in which at least one person was injured rose to 21,457, over 3,500 higher than the year before. The number of accidents with only material damage also increased by 10,028 compared to 2021, rising to 75,025. That reflects a 15 percent increase, according to STAR data.

A victim is defined by STAR as any “driver passenger or pedestrian who is injured or dies in a traffic accident.” They do not factor into account the severity of injury.

In an interview with ANP, Paul Broer said figures suggesting that injuries and fatalities surpassed totals from the pre-coronavirus years highlight a "worrying trend." Broer handles the approach to traffic enforcement at the national division of the police. He said speeding, distracted driving caused by phone calls, and driving under the influence are three of the five most common causes of accidents.

He also called on local and provincial governments to prioritize certain road safety issues, like lighting, but also making sure infrastructure can handle all of the different types of bicycles, including electric, fat bikes, and cargo bikes.