Fewer traffic deaths in first months of 2015

According to the most recent report by the Belgian Road Safety Institute (BRSI) , the number of fatalities on Belgian roads during the first three months of this year decreased slightly compared to the same period last year (-2.9%), reports Het Laatste Nieuws. Even more pronounced is the decline in the number of accidents (-9.3%) and the number of people injured due to accidents (-8.4%) so far in 2015. The results are not entirely positive, however, as the trend is only relevant to Flanders and Wallonia; in the Brussels-Capital Region there were more deaths and injuries on the roads.

In absolute terms, there were 52 road fatalities in Wallonia in the first three months of this year (compared to 56 in the same period in 2014). In Flanders, the number of fatalities also decreased, from 79 to 75. In the Brussels-Capital Region, however, the number of deaths increased from two to six).

In Flanders, the number of accidents causing injury decreased by 11.7% and the number of people injured by 10.5%. A similar trend can be seen in Wallonia, where the number of accidents with injury decreased by 6.7%, and the number of injured by 6.8%.

The most striking result of this year’s BRSI report is the sharp decrease in the number of fatalities in accidents involving trucks (-16%).

The positive results indicate a good start to 2015 in terms of road safety in Belgium, which scores better than its neighbouring countries. France and Germany, for example, recorded an increase in the number of fatalities in the first months of this year.