In 2025, the number of road deaths fell to its lowest level ever recorded. Last year, 445 people died in traffic accidents on Belgian roads.
In Flanders, there were 234 deaths, 14 fewer (-6%) than in 2024, and in Wallonia, the number of road fatalities also fell from 197 to 191 (-3%). The figures come from the Vias road safety barometer, based on police data.
Long-term decline
The most favorable trend was observed among pedestrians, with 18 fewer deaths in total (from 70 to 52), the lowest number we have ever recorded. The same positive trend was visible among cyclists (from 86 to 79 deaths) and car occupants (from 198 to 191).
Only in Brussels did the number of victims continue to rise: it even doubled, from 10 to 20, the highest number since 2022. The number of injury accidents involving e-scooters increased (+31%), as did the number of injury accidents involving cyclists (+15%).
The record of 445 deaths fits into a long-term decline, although this has slowed down in recent years. Since 1990, the number has fallen by about 75%.
Injury accidents
The number of accidents resulting in injuries in Belgium rose by 2.9 percent last year to 36,621. The trend for e-scooters is even more negative: the number of accidents with injuries rose by 34%, and the number of fatalities increased from 4 to 13.
The severity of accidents has been decreasing for several years. The reason accidents are happening more often but with fewer fatalities is that they usually occur at lower speeds, which reduces the consequences, explains Vias.
“This lower speed can be due to lower speed limits and better enforcement, or to driver assistance systems that ensure that cars are not involved in accidents, or are involved at lower speeds.”
Repeat offenders
According to the traffic institute, it remains necessary to continue to focus on measures that can lead to a structural reduction in the long term, such as stricter penalties for people who have drunk too much or use their mobile phone while driving. Vias also hopes that a targeted approach to repeat offenders will be implemented soon.
Jean-Luc Crucke, Federal Minister of Mobility: “We are aiming for zero road deaths on our roads by 2050. […] We will achieve this with stricter sanctions and better monitoring of high-risk drivers. Through a comprehensive set of measures, including prevention and training, we will save lives.”
Compared with other countries
At the European level, Belgium has approximately 38-40 deaths per million inhabitants, which is better than the European average of about 46 per million.
Belgium has a relatively high number of fatalities among young drivers, nighttime accidents, alcohol-related crashes, and cyclists in mixed traffic. The Netherlands and Germany score slightly better than Belgium.
Although the Netherlands has many more cyclists than Belgium, the number of road fatalities per million inhabitants is consistently lower because the Netherlands has consciously opted for greater separation of traffic flows: separated cycle paths along almost all major roads, protected intersections, roundabouts with a cycle ring, and fewer conflict points between cars and vulnerable road users.
The Netherlands has also had low-speed zones in residential areas and along rural roads for years. Belgium introduced them much later and less consistently.
On the other hand, the Netherlands is also known for having a relatively high number of cyclist deaths, partly because there are so many cyclists and many of them are older.
