There were over 8% fewer road accidents, 11% fewer casualties and 14% fewer motorists seriously injured in 2021, compared to data from 2019.
Belgian statistical office Statbel says the lower numbers can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic as more people worked from home instead of commuting. This reduced the number of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
The researchers gained a clearer sense of the trend in traffic accident casualties by comparing 2021 statistics to 2019 statistics.
Credit: Statbel
Restrictions to limit the spread of Covid-19 led to a reduced number of road traffic casualties. Road deaths were at their lowest in March 2021, when there were 48% fewer deaths than in March 2019. Overall, there were 34,640 road traffic accidents in 2021.
"While the decrease is more marked at the beginning of the year, all months, with the exception of September and November, were more favourable than those of 2019 in terms of deaths on our roads," the report states.
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Compared to February 2019, February 2021 saw a 28% decrease in road accidents.
Credit: Statbel
In Brussels, Statbel reports that there were eight fatalities related to traffic accidents in 2021, which is 60% lower than in 2019, but also half of the number in 2020. As previously reported, one-third of Brussels drivers felt they had become more aggressive on the road since the start of the pandemic. Aggressive driving and speeding stems largely from there being less traffic on motorways.
The Brussels-Capital Region announced its Road Safety Action Plan in December 2021, which pledges to reduce road deaths to zero by 2030. The plan limited travelling speeds in the region to 30 km/h and established more bike lane infrastructure and bridges.
“Brussels is determined to reach zero traffic fatalities by 2030. That demands bold decisions and constructive collaboration between the different layers of government,” Brussels Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt previously stated.
