Around 170 motorcyclists were seriously injured in road accidents in Wallonia last year, a 16% increase compared to 2021, a recent study showed.
The Walloon Agency for Road Safety (AWSR) published on Thursday showed that around 170 motorcyclists are victims of a severe crash on Walloon roads each year. On average, crashes involving people riding motorcycles are twice as serious as those concerning people driving cars.
“This difference is largely explained by the fact that motorcyclists do not have a protective cockpit, making them more vulnerable in an accident. In the vast majority of fatal motorcycle accidents, it is usually only the biker who loses their life,” the report read.
The report notes that the vast majority of accidents (80%) take place between April and October when good weather encourages bikers to take to the roads.
“The increased presence of motorcyclists on the roads during this period and occasional riding, essentially linked to leisure activities, largely explain these figures."
Higher speed, more dangerous consequences
Most motorcyclists in Wallonia use their motorcycles mainly for leisure activities, which is reflected in the fact that 93% of accidents involving motorbikes take place during the day and 40% at the weekend.
The majority of these crashes happen outside of urban areas, usually on roads with a posted speed limit of 70-90 kilometres per hour, where "the consequences for bikers can potentially be more serious."
The deadliest areas of Wallonia for bike crashes in relation to the size of the population are in the provinces of Luxembourg and Namur. These areas typically have the most serious accidents.
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In Namur, nearly six motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured per 100,000 inhabitants. In Luxembourg, this is nearly eight. The average for the other Walloon provinces is four deaths.
The poor condition of some of Belgium’s roads is also a danger to motorcyclists. Last year, 91% of bikers said that the state of the road posed the biggest danger to their lives.
As the weather has started to improve, which will likely result in bikers hitting the road, AWSR has called on them to wear a helmet at all times, to manoeuvre safely and to always respect the speed limits.
