Around 14 children are injured every day in Belgium while on their way to or from school. Figures highlight large differences per transport mode, with cyclists and pedestrians more vulnerable.
Whether dropped off by car, walking or bicycling, the jouney to school is not without risk. An average of 14 children aged between 3 and 18 were injured in road traffic accidents when going to or from school every day last year, figures from the road safety institute Vias and Statbel showed. Road accidents during the school commute account for around 40% of all accidents involving 3 to 18-year-olds.
Little improvement has been recorded in the past decade. In 2014, 2,681 children were injured going to school; in 2023, this figure was 2,542. Only in 2020 was there a sharp drop recorded (to 1,674), but this was because schools were closed for long periods due to the pandemic.
"If you look at the absolute numbers, the figure goes down a bit some years and rises a bit some other years," Vias' spokesperson Stef Willems told The Brussels Times. "But it stays around 2,500." Importantly, the figures don't take into account demographic changes: since 2013, the number of under-18s increased by around 72,000, meaning the number of accidents per child has slightly decreased.
Regional differences
In Brussels, the total number of victims is significantly lower than in Flanders and Wallonia. In the Capital Region, 211 children were injured in road accidents on their way to or from school: just over one child per school day. In Flanders it is 1,831 (around 10 children per day), and 500 in Wallonia (amounting to almost three injured children every day).
The difference is partly down to population differences: some 1.3 million people in Flanders are under the age of 18 (including those aged 0 to 3); in Brussels this age group is just 270,000 people.
Better public transport in Brussels also plays a role. "Brussels is an urban environment very different to most places Flanders, where many young people must travel 10 or 15 kilometres to school and can't always rely on public transport, meaning they are more likely to go by bicycle."
Among 16–18 year-olds in Brussels, most accidents happen on foot (34%), followed by e-scooter (29%). Around one in five accidents involve a pupil on a bicycle. In Flanders this figure is more than one-third (36%).
"But this shouldn't dissuade people from allowing their children to travel to school by bicycle, and instead driving them. That only makes the situation more dangerous," Willems said. "Much better is to get more people making the school journey by bicycle or on foot."
Higher speeds, greater risks
The largest share of accidents among 16- to 18-year-olds in Flanders involve mopeds (47%). "That's a striking figure," Willems said. "This highlights that more work must be done to explain the dangers. Adolescents aren't always aware of the risks of travelling at higher speeds."
In Brussels, just 18% of all accidents involve a moped. "Young people here can more easily catch the bus or tram or metro to school, or walk. That's not always the case in Flanders," Willems explained. "If you travel 10 kilometres to school, many young people opt for transport like mopeds."
Willems pointed to increased and stricter police checks on mopeds, especially to ensure they have not been manipulated to increase their speed, but that largely, the solution lies with parents taking responsibility and ensuring they wear a helmet, stick to speed limits, and "do not fool around."
Overall, Vias calls on motorists to be extra alert around school environments, and on children to always be careful and stick to the traffic rules.
