The number of fatalities on Belgian roads rose by 39 percent in the first half of the year compared to last year, according to the road safety barometer of Vias Institute. A total of 231 people died, almost as many as before the corona crisis. The number of pedestrians killed in accidents has more than doubled: from 13 to 35.
In Flanders, the number of road deaths rose from 99 to 113. This is the highest number since 2016. In Wallonia, the increase was even greater than in Flanders (111 deaths instead of 63). In Brussels, the death toll rose from 4 to 7. The number of injury crashes rose in the three regions: from 4,433 to 4,954 in Wallonia (+12 percent), from 9,513 to 11,534 in Flanders (+21 percent) and from 1,578 to 2,079 in Brussels ( +32 percent).
In Flanders, the increase was largest in the province of West Flanders. There, the number of deaths rose from 13 to 31. Twelve of these were in accidents involving a truck. In East Flanders, the number of road deaths rose from 18 to 24. Antwerp had a status quo. In Limburg (-4 deaths) and Flemish Brabant (-6 deaths), the balance was more positive than last year.
The number of pedestrians who died rose from 13 to 35, a worrying trend. This increase cannot be explained solely by the terrible accident in Strépy in which six pedestrians/carnivalists were killed, Vias points out.
Injury accidents
Nationally, the number of injury crashes is increasing for all types of road users, except for truck crashes. That number remains stable. In Flanders, the number of accidents involving an e-step also doubles (from 181 to 388). The number of crashes involving cyclists is increasing by more than 20 percent. There were 4,581 injury accidents, the highest number we recorded in the last 10 years. The number of accidents involving electric bicycles rose enormously. There were 1,433 injury accidents compared to 977 last year, an increase of 47 percent.
In Brussels, the number of injury crashes has increased by 32 percent. An electric scooter is involved in almost one in five accidents (393 in 2,079). Vias also registered an increase in crashes involving mopeds (+28 percent), bicycles (+23 percent) and pedestrians (+20 percent).
“We are now at approximately the same level as before the corona pandemic in 2019. There has been no structural decrease in the number of road deaths in our country over the past five years. More than ever, this barometer shows that the challenge lies in better protecting all vulnerable road users,” concludes Vias.
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