The inhabitants of the big cities are the biggest chunk pilots in traffic. In 2020, more than 103.000 traffic accidents were registered in the Netherlands. 10,9% of these accidents can be traced back to just two municipalities: Amsterdam and Rotterdam. At provincial level, most incidents were reported in South Holland: a quarter of all traffic accidents in the Netherlands took place here. This and more is apparent from an analysis by Independer based on data from the police and Rijkswaterstaat.
At the municipal level, most traffic accidents took place in Rotterdam last year. Here, 6.280 traffic accidents were registered in which one or more road users were involved. This is the top 5 municipalities with the most registered traffic accidents:
- Rotterdam (6.280 traffic accidents)
- Amsterdam (4.978 traffic accidents)
- The Hague (4.480 traffic accidents)
- Utrecht (2.441 traffic accidents)
- Haarlemmermeer (1.858 traffic accidents)
At provincial level, most traffic accidents were registered in South Holland (26.056), followed by North Holland (16.592) and North Brabant (14.168).
Most accidents in Ouder-Amstel
When the number of traffic accidents is weighed up against the population, the chance of an accident is greatest in Ouder-Amstel, North Holland. Last year 1.000 accidents per 24 inhabitants were reported here. This is four times higher than the national average of 5,9 traffic accidents per 1.000 inhabitants.
The number of accidents per 18,8 inhabitants is also high in the municipalities of Midden-Delfland (15,8), Eemnes (15,1) and Oostzaan (1.000).
Relatively most accidents on straight roads
In 2020, half of all registered traffic accidents for which the type of road is also known occurred on a straight road (50,2%). These were mainly rear-end collisions and accidents in which vehicles were hit in the side. Traffic accidents at intersections (22,8%) were also relatively common last year, according to Independent.
"The financial consequences of traffic accidents are not always easy either. Traffic accidents almost always affect the number of claim-free years of a car driver, unless the damage can be recovered in full from someone else. In the event of a damage, you always lose 5 claim-free years. for example, if you have 3 claim-free years, after a claim you fall back to -2 claim-free years.It is not possible to have less than -5 claim-free years.There are ways to minimize the financial consequences of an accident. The number of claim-free years has a major influence on the premium of your car insurance, which is why we recommend that if you change to claim-free years: start comparing car insurance again. This can save you a lot of money and usually you can transfer the insurance immediately."
Also read: Men and women score the same in safe driving
