The social cost of road accidents in Belgium amounts to €10.9 billion per year, according to a study published on Sunday by the Vias Institute for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
"Besides immense human suffering, road accidents lead to other negative consequences such as material damage, medical costs, and work incapacities," Vias detailed.
The institute estimates that each road fatality in Belgium costs society €7 million, while a serious injury costs €700,000 and a minor injury €70,000.
The study examines both the immediate costs linked to a road accident, as well as the subsequent costs linked to the victim. Categories of costs examined include medical and human costs, loss of production, damage to property and insurance payouts.
In 2023, 501 people lost their lives on Belgian roads, including 76 young people under the age of 25, noted the Association of Parents of Road Accident Victims, which organised a gathering on Sunday at Remembrance Square in Ixelles.
"The estimate by Vias of the cost of road accidents for Belgian citizens, an enormous burden of nearly €11 billion for 2022, must prompt politicians and all concerned parties to further increase efforts and investments in road safety and safer mobility," said Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet.
"The recorded decrease in road insecurity over the past four years, with 39 fewer deaths between 2022 and 2023, shows that Belgium is on the right track. The upcoming implementation of measures aimed particularly at better combating drink-driving among foreign drivers is another step forward," he said.
