Wendy Vugts from Tilburg is relieved. Four years after her twelve -year -old son Jayden died in an accident on the Ringbaan Zuid, the municipality announces that the speed on that road is going down. “I honestly thought I would never experience this again.”
From January 1, 2027, drivers may only drive 50 kilometers per hour on the Ringbaan Zuid. Now that is 70 kilometers per hour. “If 50 was already driving there, Jayden might have lived,” said mother Wendy Omroep Tilburg.
The fact that the speed goes down, the Tilburg traffic law holder Rik Grashoff announced on Monday evening during a council meeting. Wendy started a petition to call the municipality to lower the speed. That call was signed almost ten thousand times for a short time. “I just wanted it to stop those accidents there. It did well me that people supported me so much. That everyone knew who Jayden was. That gave me strength.”
The petition was handed over to Mayor Weterings in 2021. Then it remained silent for a long time. “You know how that goes,” says Wendy. “The commotion ebbs away, other things demand attention. But I have always stayed up to date through people within the town hall. They really still attracted that.”
After Jayden’s death, hundreds of people walked into a quiet journey:
The police investigation showed that the driver who came on Jayden, between 92 and 94 kilometers per hour. “We are all guilty of a few kilometers too loud, but this was not a small exceedance,” says Wendy. “And if the maximum speed had been 50 .. Maybe Jayden would have survived. I will stay there.”
“I really believe that a lower speed saves lives,” Wendy says. “You can never completely prevent accidents, but you can reduce the risk.” The alderman’s commitment is important for Wendy: “I hope there will be fewer victims. That is all I can do for Jayden.”
Before the speed on the road where Jayden cancels down, other activities must first be performed on the Heuvel, Palace, Schouwburg and Noordhoekring in Tilburg. That happens in 2026.
