Commuter traffic accidents continue to rise in Belgium

An analysis by business newspaper De Tijd/L’Echo, based on figures from Fedris, the Belgian Federal Agency for Occupational Risks, shows that the number of commuting accidents in Belgium is climbing rapidly.

The figure has risen to the third highest ever, and it exposes once again one of the pain points: inadequately adapted infrastructure, such as the lack of bicycle-friendly routes.

The number of accidents on the way to and from work in Belgium has risen to 24,770 in 2023, or an average of 67 per day. This is the third highest figure ever, after 2010 and 2019. Almost one in five workplace accidents occurred on the road, a sad record.

The good news, however, is that the number of fatal work-road accidents continues to fall to 34, the lowest figure ever, though 34 remains too many.

E-bikes, speed pedelecs, and the bicycle allowance

According to Lode Godderis, professor of occupational medicine at (KU Leuven) and top executive at Idewe, an external service for prevention and protection at work, the rise in the figures can be attributed to increasing traffic congestion and the growing importance of bicycles in commuting where e-bikes or speed pedelecs have gained popularity.

In 2021, the federal government approved ‘Be Cyclist,’ the first federal Action Plan to promote cycling. A significant part of this action plan relates to bicycle use for commuting. The government also increased the bicycle allowance from 0,27 to 0,35 euros per kilometer.

That increase did have its effect: the number of bicycle allowances paid so far in 2024 is already 25% higher than the number in 2023. Whereas in 2023, it was still 16,043 employees, this year already 20,069 employees were paid a bicycle allowance. As many as one in six employees receives a bicycle allowance, an increase of 3% over the previous year.

Mainly, Flemish companies use bicycle allowances; Wallonia accounts for 10% of bicycle allowances and the Brussels Capital Region for 20%

Bike leasing

In 2023, 32% of Belgian workers used bicycles to commute to work, for all or part of the way. This is an increase compared to 2019, when 29% of Belgian workers (partially) commute by bicycle.

Bike leasing is also clearly rising, thanks to the tax advantage. Through that system, the bicycle sometimes becomes 40% cheaper. It is striking that employees are leasing increasingly expensive bicycles through their employers.

The average catalog price of a bike purchased by employees through their employer in 2024 came to 4,942 euros. The number of speed pedelecs grew by 50%.

Problem of the state of the road

In general, Flemish families are only 37% satisfied with the bicycle infrastructure in their municipality, although there is also increasing investment in safer and better-maintained bicycle infrastructure for commuting, such as the construction of several bicycle highways across the country.

Just a few weeks ago, North Sea Port announced that over the next five years, it will construct 30 km of new bicycle paths in the port area. The port company wants to increase bicycle safety and encourage sustainable commuting by doing this.