Number of road fatalities in Flanders almost halved in ten years

Between 2001 and 2010 the number of fatal road victims in Flanders dropped by 49%, failing narrowly Europe’s target of 50%. “Flanders still did quite well,” says Werner De Dobbeleer of the Flemish Traffic Foundation VSV. “Flanders is above the Belgian and European average. In Europe the number of fatalities has dropped by 43% and in Belgium by 44%,” he adds. The VSV believes the success is partly due to local initiatives. “Greater awareness at youth and sport clubs has had a great impact,” says De Dobbeleer. Flanders also scores well in respect of active participation, with initiatives like the European Nigh without Accidents arranged by the Responsible Young Drivers or the SAVE charter of the Parents of Child Victims OVK.
And yet there is still much to be done in Flanders. “Last year the number of fatalities not only levelled out, but increased. This is a disturbing fact,” De Dobbeleer states. The downward trend, which is not only evident in Flanders, but in all EU member states, will most certainly be discussed during the Flemish Traffic Safety Congress   in Ghent today. A 2012 Traffic Safety Annual will also be presented and Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works Hilde Crevits CD&V will award the best traffic safety initiative during the past years.