Dutch road deaths nearly halved in 15 years

Dutch road deaths have nearly halved in the last 15 years, according to new figures by the country’s central statistics bureau CBS. There were 661 road deaths in the Netherlands in 2011, down 47% from 1,251 in 1996. For passenger cars over the same period there was a 73.5% decrease in road fatalities, from 609 to 221.
July 18, 2012 Read time: 1 min
RSSDutch road deaths have nearly halved in the last 15 years, according to new figures by the country’s central statistics bureau CBS.

There were 661 road deaths in the Netherlands in 2011, down 47% from 1,251 in 1996.  

For passenger cars over the same period there was a 73.5% decrease in road fatalities, from 609 to 221.

The fall in road deaths comes as Dutch people are said to be opting for smaller cars, which are likely to cause less road accident damage, due to the economic crisis. The mild winter meant is also said to have led to fewer slips on the roads and less damage from hail. There has also been an improvement in technology, such as parking sensors, and an increase in the number of roundabouts.

However Frits Huffnagel, chairman of Dutch vehicle repair trade association Focwa, said the change in car type purchases and the improvement in road surface conditions was bad news for car insurance companies as they struggle with decreasing prices to remain competitive.

Related Content

  • Hybrid cars are safer because they are heavier claim
    May 14, 2012
    Passengers in hybrid-powered cars are about 25% less likely to be injured in a crash than those in their conventional-powered counterparts, according to research released by the Highway Loss Data Institute, which claims that the additional weight of the hybrid engine adds an extra layer of safety over similar, non-hybrid cars. Cars with hybrid engines typically weigh about 10% more than their conventionally-powered twins.
    Read More
  • Nepal plans road infrastructure expansion
    March 12, 2014
    Major road expansion is planned for Nepal, but will face huge challenges due to the country’s geography - Mike Woof reports, with local information from World Highways' Nepal correspondent, Ram Krishna Wagle The tiny, landlocked nation of Nepal lies sandwiched between two of the world’s largest countries, China and India and maintains good relations with both. Politically Nepal has strong links with China, while culturally its ties are close with India and these relationships work both ways. Despite bein
    Read More
  • Denmark is seeing major gains in road safety
    September 4, 2012
    Continued improvements in road safety are being seen in Denmark. The latest official data from the Danish Road Directorate (Vejdirektoratet) reveals a continued drop in fatal accidents. In July 2012 Denmark saw four fatalities on the country’s roads, the same figure as seen in July in the previous years. This is the lowest figure since the statistics were first recorded in 1985.
    Read More
  • Japanese road safety sees improvement
    August 14, 2014
    Japan’s National Police Agency reports an improvement in road safety for the first half of 2014. The report highlights a drop in road related fatalities to 1,925 for the first six months of 2014, a fall of 79 compared with the same period for the previous year. Of those killed in road crashes during the first six months of 2014, a worrying 995 were aged 65 or older. Meanwhile, the number of people injured in road accidents reached 342,656. There were 277,591 road crashes in Japan during the first six months
    Read More

Highlighted Content