684 road traffic deaths in 2023 | Statistics Netherlands (CBS)

The annual number of road traffic fatalities decreased steadily between 2000 and 2010. This was mainly because fewer people were killed in car accidents. Since 2010, the number has fluctuated annually and declined during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the number of cycling fatalities has increased in recent years.

In 2023, 270 cyclists were killed in traffic accidents, 20 fewer than in 2022. In both years, at least 40 percent of these cyclists were riding an e-bike. Furthermore, 194 passenger car occupants were killed, which was 27 more than in 2022. Road fatalities also included 71 pedestrians, 53 occupants of mobility scooters, 46 motorcyclists, 32 moped and light moped riders, and 16 occupants of delivery vans or lorries.

4 in 10 cyclist fatalities due to collisions with passenger cars

In the period between 2019 and 2022, 1,199 cyclists were killed in traffic accidents, with 42 percent of these accidents being caused by collisions with a passenger car or van. Nearly 10 percent of all cyclist fatalities were caused by collisions involving a lorry or bus, and 32 percent were not due to collisions. These cyclists died after falling from their bicycle. Thirty-eight percent of cyclist fatalities involving people aged 75 years or older were not due to collisions.

Twenty-nine percent of the 1,022 road traffic deaths among passenger car occupants were involved in a collision with another passenger car or van, 13 percent were involved in a collision with a lorry or bus, and 40 percent were involved in a collision with a stationary object. Two thirds of the pedestrians were killed in a collision with a passenger car or van and 16 percent in a collision with a lorry or bus.

Highest number of road traffic deaths recorded in Noord-Brabant

Noord-Brabant recorded 120 road traffic fatalities, which was less than in 2022, but the highest number of all provinces. The lowest number was recorded in Flevoland (11) and Zeeland (19). Noord-Brabant has the most extensive road network of all provinces (nearly 23 thousand km), followed by Gelderland and Zuid-Holland.

Traffic mortality per km was highest in Haaglanden and Amsterdam-Amstelland

The number of road traffic deaths per thousand kilometres of road was highest in Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. Broken down by safety region, Haaglanden (which includes The Hague and Zoetermeer) and Amsterdam-Amstelland had the most road traffic deaths over the past five years in relative terms, with 8 deaths per thousand kilometres of road. This was less than 4 deaths per thousand kilometres of road in the northeast of the Netherlands. Zeeland had the fewest traffic fatalities at 2.5 road traffic deaths per thousand kilometres of road.