AWV’s ‘dangerous traffic points’ list 2024 contains 264 locations

The Roads and Traffic Agency (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) recently published the latest list of unsafe traffic locations where accidents can be linked to the infrastructure – not to individual drivers’ behavior.

The list for 2024 mentions 264 locations, which is less than in 2021 (301) and 2022 (300) but slightly more than in 2023 (258). 110 locations on the list (42%) have already been addressed, and work is in progress or planned for 44 points (17%) in the short term.

‘Black points’

Since 2018, Flanders has used a dynamic list of dangerous traffic locations – the so-called ‘black points’. A traffic point is considered ‘dangerous’ when at least three accidents with (severe) injuries have occurred in recent years. 

The list is adjusted annually based on accident figures. A point score determines the priority: a slightly injured person counts for one point, a seriously injured person for three points, and a fatal victim for five points. Accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians carry an extra weight: they receive an increase factor of 1.7.

‘Antwerp has most dangerous points’

Since the registrations started, AWV has tackled 399 black points, an average of one point every six days. So, dangerous locations disappear, but new ones are added yearly.

The new list 2024 shows 61 new dangerous points, 31 of which are in Antwerp, the province with the highest number of hazardous points (127). With its denser buildings and busier traffic, Antwerp is at a greater risk of unsafe locations. Limburg has only 23 of those black points. Nine black traffic points were also removed in Limburg between 2020 and 2022, and five new ones were added.

“Improving our infrastructure is one of the best ways to increase road safety,” concludes Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA). “The list will help us to determine where and which interventions are needed.”