Traffic in Drenthe has become much safer in the past 25 years. In 1996 there were still 46 road deaths, a year later 59 road deaths. But since then, the number of road deaths has been steadily decreasing.
Nationally, it is striking that the number of road casualties among motorists has decreased over the past 20 years. In contrast, the number of cyclists killed in an accident fluctuates around 200. The number of bicycle fatalities was highest in 2000 (233) and lowest in 2010 (162). Since 2020, the number of bicycle deaths has been almost 20 percent higher than the number of car deaths.
Half of the national road deaths were 60 years or older. The number of road deaths in this age group did decrease from 306 in 2020 to 294 in 2021. Older fatal road victims (60-plus) have a bicycle accident relatively often, while road victims younger than 60 years mainly die in a car accident.
In 2021, most road casualties occurred in Gelderland and South Holland, each with 94 road deaths. In these provinces, the number of road deaths increased in 2021. For the first time in seven years, Noord-Brabant did not have the highest number of fatal road casualties. The number of road deaths also decreased in Overijssel, Zeeland, North Brabant and Limburg. In Zeeland, the number of road deaths halved, from 22 in 2020 to 11 in 2021. The number of road deaths in North Holland remained at the same level as in 2020.