During New Year’s Eve, seventeen Drenthe fireworks victims were treated in the emergency room. This is the highest number since the turn of 2019 to 2020, according to inventory figures from the SafetyNL knowledge center.
In Drenthe there were 3.4 fireworks victims per 100,000 inhabitants. Only the regions of Haaglanden (4.3), Gelderland-Zuid (4.9) and Kennemerland (5.6) had on average more victims than here.
Not only in Drenthe, but also nationally, more fireworks victims were counted in emergency rooms. According to an inventory by the SafetyNL knowledge center, these hospital departments treated 474 patients with injuries caused by fireworks. That was 29 percent more than the year before and the highest number since the turn of 2016 to 2017.
Last New Year’s Eve may be the last in which consumer fireworks were allowed. In 2025, a majority of both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted in favor of a national ban on consumer fireworks, which may apply from next year. During the pandemic, when there was a temporary national fireworks ban for two new years, the total number of fireworks victims was considerably lower.
Where SafetyNL talks about a busy New Year’s Eve, according to the fire brigade in Drenthe it was not too bad. There were 86 reports compared to 149 reports a year earlier.