The number of injuries and casualties in traffic decreased during the lockdown. The first figures from the police for the whole of Belgium show that the number of bicycle crashes fell by 56% during the first two weeks of the lockdown. The number of deaths and serious injuries has decreased by 28%. 

From an earlier analysis of Roads showed that for all road users there was a decrease of about 70% in the number of injuries. The decline among cyclists is therefore less pronounced. Tuesday 5 May, Vias institute organizes a webinar for seniors to refresh their knowledge about the road code. During this lockdown there is less motorized traffic everywhere. That is of course good for road safety. An analysis of Vias at 13 police zones showed that for all road users there was a decrease of about 70% in the number of injuries. 

According to Stef Willems, Road Safety Spokesperson, new figures for the whole of Belgium from the police show that the percentage of cycling accidents fell by 56% during the first two weeks of the lockdown. The number of deaths and serious injuries fell by only 28%. The decrease in the number of (seriously injured) victims is therefore less for cyclists.

less traffic on the road

The Coronavirus makes a lot of victims and has a huge impact on our daily lives. This also means that there is much less traffic on the road. This of course also has consequences for the number of road casualties. Vias institute has therefore made an estimate of the expected impact of a 6-week lockdown on road safety. 

Based on accident data from 13 police zones (including Ghent, Mechelen, Leuven, Aarschot, Kempenland, Geraardsbergen-Lierde, Rupel, Turnhout, Kastze, Basse-Meuse, Waver, Tongeren, Balen-Dessel-Mol, Zennevallei), they arrive at the conclusion that on average there are 68% fewer injury accidents than the average over the last 3 years. In total, this amounts to 4017 injury accidents and 50 fewer deaths over this period.

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