Skip to main content

Increase in road crashes in the Netherlands

After several years of declining numbers of road crashes and improving safety statistics, the Netherlands is seeing an increase in road fatalities. Research by Dutch insurance umbrella body Verbond van Verzekeraars reveals that the number of crashes in the country is now increasing once more. During 2015 there were 502,000 personal claims following road crashes in the country, coampred with 462,000 in the previous year. Meanwhile the road fatality rate increased from 570 in 2014 to 621 in 2015. Similarly, t
November 1, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
After several years of declining numbers of road crashes and improving safety statistics, the Netherlands is seeing an increase in road fatalities. Research by Dutch insurance umbrella body Verbond van Verzekeraars reveals that the number of crashes in the country is now increasing once more. During 2015 there were 502,000 personal claims following road crashes in the country, coampred with 462,000 in the previous year. Meanwhile the road fatality rate increased from 570 in 2014 to 621 in 2015. Similarly, the number of road crashes increased by 6.5% to 841,000 in 2015 compared with the previous year. A full analysis of the crash data has yet to be carried out but the use of smartphones by drivers is thought to be the primary reason by this worrying increase in road crashes. The Netherlands has a good record on road safety and its low crash rate on its network makes it amongst the 10 safest countries in the world for road users. This latest study suggests however the need to implement new measures to endemic tackle phone use by drivers.

Related Content

  • US road safety concern over cannabis use
    January 16, 2019
    Concern is being expressed in the US over the correlation between cannabis use and crashes.
  • India’s high road deaths require change
    December 8, 2016
    India’s road deaths are providing a wider cause for concern. Official data pegs the road fatality rate for the country at over 146,000 in 2015, an increase over the 139,671 recorded in 2014. However there are also thought to be many unreported deaths, so the actual figure could be considerably higher. India's Ministry of State for Road Transport and Highways has revealed that there were 501,423 reported road crashes in 2015, a worrying increase from the 489,400 crashes in 2014. There were more than 500,0
  • European road safety points way ahead
    May 15, 2014
    The notable improvement in road safety statistics for Europe paint a promising picture with an 8% drop in fatalities recorded for 2013 compared with the previous year. This continues the steady reduction in the fatality rate, having followed a previous drop in road deaths. And it highlights how measures to control speeding and enforce laws against drink-driving have had a positive effect.
  • Changes seen in Netherlands and Italian road safety
    November 19, 2015
    Changes in the number of road crashes as well as casualty statistics have been observed in Italy and the Netherlands. For Italy, the long term trend is positive, although this may have been influenced by recession. Data reveals that commercial vehicle traffic fell by 11.2% on Italian highways between 2006 and the first half of 2015. This analysis was carried out by Continental Autocarro based on data provided by AISCAT. In the same period, the number of crashes occurred on highways and involving commercial