The Flemish Traffic Centre reported a record number of disruption accidents on motorways in Flanders in 2024, and preliminary data for 2025 suggests no improvement is in sight, with January and February witnessing an unprecedented number of such incidents per working day.
Last year, there were 26 disruption accidents on an average working day on Flemish motorways, with a peak in November at 33. These accidents involve partial or complete road closures on motorways.
According to the Flemish Traffic Centre, the average number of disruption accidents has shown a near-continuous increasing trend, from 15 per day in 2012 to 24 per day in 2019. The COVID-19 measures caused a sharp decrease to 16 per day in 2020, followed by a rise from 2021. By 2023, the number had climbed back to 25, reaching an all-time high.
The upward trend continued in 2024, reaching a new record 26 accidents per working day outside school holidays. The Traffic Centre suggests that improved reporting could partially explain the rise since 2012.
On Saturdays and Sundays, the number of disruption accidents on Flemish motorways usually ranges between 9 and 12. After a drop in 2020, weekend accident numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels from 2021 onward. However, in 2024, the recorded accidents per weekend day slightly decreased slightly compared to 2023.
The highest number of accidents occurred in the Antwerp area, followed by Brussels, according to the Traffic Centre.
