DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

11 June 2023
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Politics
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Despite less traffic, some 500 people still died on the roads last year

April 8, 2021
Photo: depositphotos

There were far fewer accidents on the Dutch roads last year, but the number of accident victims did not decline by as many as forecast, according to traffic researchers.

Police and insurance company figures suggest there were nearly 80,700 accidents last year, a decline of 20% on 2019, as commuting in particular declined due to the coronavirus measures.

Nevertheless, the number of accident victims only fell by 11% to 19,000 and 513 people died – a decline of just 43 on the average in previous years, police say.

‘The number of accident victims has not gone down at the same rate as the number of accidents,’ police spokesman Paul Broer told the AD.

Working from home and the lockdowns led to fewer cars on the roads but more cyclists and pedestrians – and they were out and about at different times than usual. This, Boer said, may have contributed to the minor changes in the number of traffic accident victims, particularly in built-up areas.

Two-thirds of accident victims were cyclists, pedestrians and moped users and a quarter were aged 12 to 24.

In particular, empty roads may have encouraged more motorists to drive too fast, increasing the risk of serious accidents, he said.

If the coronavirus pandemic leads to a permanent shift in road use patterns, local authorities must take action to widen cycle lanes and reduce traffic density in urban areas to protect the most vulnerable road users, Broer told broadcaster NOS.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Society
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
EU migration deal is "very important step", says Dutch minister
"Free money" experiments help people get their lives in order
Tropical temperatures ahead and Friday is officially "summer"
Dutch News podcast: The Tulips Are Cancelled Edition
Utrecht says no to new tobacco shops ahead of supermarket ban
NewsHomeEconomyArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyPoliticsHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DN
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2023 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now