Road accidents and casualties in 2020
In 2020 there were 30,232 road accidents with a total of 37,112 casualties. There were among them 33,645 light casualties and 2,968 serious casualties while 499 people lost their lives within 30 days after the accident. This is what emerged from the latest figures on road accidents published by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office.
The impact of the Covid-19 crisis on all road safety indicators was very large compared to 2019: fewer accidents (-19.8%), fewer casualties (-22.4%), fewer deaths within 30 days (-22.5%), fewer serious casualties (-17.7%) and light casualties (-22.8%).
| Belgium | 2019* | 2020 | 2019/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of accidents | 37,719 | 30,232 | -19.8% |
| Number of casualties | 47,832 | 37,112 | -22.4% |
| Number of deaths 30 days | 644 | 499 | -22.5% |
| Including deaths on the spot | 481 | 375 | -22.0% |
| Number of serious casualties | 3,605 | 2,968 | -17.7% |
| Number of light casualties | 43,583 | 33,645 | -22.8% |
| *revised figures | |||
The lockdown periods, followed by the relaxation of the measures, determined the rhythm: more than half fewer accidents in April 2020 compared to April 2019 (-55.5%), followed by a gradual increase between May and August, a strong increase in September and then again a sharp decrease in November (-38.4%).
The number of deaths within 30 days was also the lowest in April, when the first lockdown and traffic restrictions were in force (-53.6%).
There was a strong increase in September compared to 2019 (+59.6%): accidents mainly involved cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and drivers of passenger cars.