Netherlands road safety problem as casualties rise

Serious issues have been realised in the Netherlands, with an increase in the rate of road casualties. There were 629 road deaths in the Netherlands in 2016, eight more than in 2015. Meanwhile 2015 had seen an increase of 51 road deaths over 2014. The issue is of concern as these two years were the first since 1996 when road deaths had not dropped. The road safety standards in the Netherlands are amongst the best in Europe, and the entire world. However there is concern that in the Netherlands, as in many c
May 5, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Serious issues have been realised in the Netherlands, with an increase in the rate of road casualties. There were 629 road deaths in the Netherlands in 2016, eight more than in 2015. Meanwhile 2015 had seen an increase of 51 road deaths over 2014. The issue is of concern as these two years were the first since 1996 when road deaths had not dropped. The road safety standards in the Netherlands are amongst the best in Europe, and the entire world. However there is concern that in the Netherlands, as in many countries, the issue of driver distraction from the use of cellphones at the wheel could be causing an increase in crashes. Increases in speed limits are also thought to be a factor.


The Netherlands Government is keen to continue with the reduction in road deaths. The aim is to reduce the annual toll to 500 by 2020.

Of those killed in 2016, 231 were car occupants, 189 were cyclists, 38 were on scooters, 51 were pedestrians and 45 were motorcycle riders.

Related Content

  • US pedestrian deaths fall but remain high
    June 27, 2024
    According to analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association - GHSA – annual US pedestrian traffic deaths fell for first time since the pandemic, but are still above the pre-pandemic level.
    Read More
  • India’s IRTE wins top Prince Michael of Kent Safety Award
    July 4, 2019
    India’s Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) was among the international winners at the annual Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards in London. IRTE picked up the Premier Award for its road injury prevention programme and for being a key partner in the Safer Cars for India project established by Global NCAP, an independent certification body that evaluates the safety of vehicles. Part of IRTE’s strategy has been the setting up of what is believed to be Asia’s first Masters of Science i
    Read More
  • French road safety issues
    August 10, 2020
    French road safety issues are still a cause for concern.
    Read More
  • US road crashes increasing for 2015?
    August 19, 2015
    There is mounting concern in the US at the high number of crashes during 2015. For the first seven months of 2015, there has been a 14% increase in the number of traffic fatalities compared with the same period in 2014. The data shows that there were 18,630 road deaths in this period, with over 2.2 million serious injuries. This is a notable increase and should the trend continue it will mean that 2015 will have had the highest rate of road deaths since 2007. The cause (or causes) of the increase in road de
    Read More

Highlighted Content