Deadliest summer for Flemish cyclists since 2014

As a result of the corona restrictions, the number of road deaths during the first 9 months of this year has decreased by 16 percent compared to the same period last year. This is shown by the barometer of the Vias safety institute. But for cyclists on Flemish roads it was the deadliest summer in six years.

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2020 is an atypical year, also in the accident statistics. Up to and including September, there were 303 deaths on Belgian roads this year, compared to 362 in the same period last year. In Flanders, the number of road fatalities fell by 12 percent, in Wallonia even by 21 percent. It was mainly car occupants who were spared more often. It went from 183 deaths last year to 145 this year.

But despite the corona restrictions, the month of September was noticeably more deadly than last year. There were 48 deaths that month, compared to 31 deaths last year. “The exceptionally mild weather in September prompted people to go out and that increased the risk,” Vias analyzes.

And mild weather, which mainly attracts cyclists. In July, August and September, 17 cyclists died on Flemish roads. That is the highest number since 2014. In Brussels, cyclists also suffered more this year. There, an increase of 16 percent was recorded in the number of accidents involving cyclists: from 748 to 870 accidents.

Peeters: ‘Nothing to make us happy about’

The number of fatalities on motorways also increased. During the first 9 months of this year there were more fatalities (59) than in the same period in 2016 (52 deaths), 2017 (56 deaths) and 2018 (58 deaths). “It was less busy and some drivers took advantage of that to take more risks,” said Vias.

“It is not in the right place to make fun of these figures”, responds Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open VLD). ‘We know that 2020 can never be a reference year due to the corona crisis.’

The increasing number of bicycle casualties in particular is a cause for concern for Minister Peeters. ‘Although we do know that there was considerably more cycling and that the chance of more cycling accidents is unfortunately also increasing. This barometer teaches us that we must continue to focus fully on the modal in mental shift and that road safety will have to remain at the top of the agenda in the coming years in order to achieve our objectives. Even during periods of poor traffic, we notice that the road is still long, very long. ‘

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