*Country Profile

Belgium

ROAD SAFETY

This document is part of a series of 30 country profiles: one for each Member Stateof the EU 27 and three EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland). The
purpose of this series is to provide an overview of the road safety situation in a specificcountry.
Contract:

This document has been prepared in the framework of the EC
Service Contract MOVE/C2/SER/2022-55/SI2.888215 with
National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), SWOV Institutefor Road Safety Research and Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit(KFV).

VersionFebruary 8, 2024

Authors

Katerina Folla, Konstantinos Kaselouris (NTUA)Internal Reviewers: Ingrid van Schagen, Govert Schermers (SWOV)
Referencing:

Reproduction of this document is allowed with due
acknowledgement. Please refer to the document as follows:
European Commission (2023), Country Profile Belgium. Road
SafetyObservatory.
Brussels,
EuropeanCommission,
Directorate General for Transport.

Disclaimer
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the matter presented in thisdocument is relevant, accurate and up to date, the (sub)contractors cannot accept
any liability for any error or omission, or reliance on part or all of the content inanother context.
Any information and views set out in this document are those of the author(s) and do
not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. The
Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study.
Neither the Commission nor any person acting on the Commission’s behalf may beheld responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained therein.
© European Commission, 2023.The EU does not own the copyright in relation to thefollowing elements:- Cover page photos, © www.shutterstock.com

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Contents
1.

Highlights ........................................................................... 4

2.

Road Safety Outcomes ......................................................... 5

3.

4.

5.

6.

2.1

Road Safety Trends ......................................................... 5

2.2

Risk Figures .................................................................... 6

2.3

Transport Mode ............................................................... 7

2.4

Age and Gender .............................................................. 9

2.5

Area and Road Type ....................................................... 11

2.6Time Period ................................................................... 12

2.7

Lighting and Weather Conditions ...................................... 13

Safety Performance Indicators .............................................. 14
3.1Road User Behaviour ...................................................... 14

3.2

Vehicle Safety ................................................................ 15

3.3

Enforcement .................................................................. 15Road Safety Policy and Measures .......................................... 16
4.1

National Road Safety Strategy.......................................... 16

4.2

Traffic Laws and Regulations ............................................ 16

4.3

Driving Licences ............................................................. 174.4Road Infrastructure ........................................................ 18

Structure and Culture .......................................................... 19
5.1Country Characteristics ................................................... 19

5.2

Structure of Road Safety Management .............................. 20

5.3

Self-declared behaviour & Attitudes .................................. 21

Notes ................................................................................ 22
6.1

Data Sources ................................................................. 22

6.2

Definitions ..................................................................... 24

3

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

1. Highlights
Road Safety Outcomes• In 2021, 516 people were killed and 3,098 were seriously injured
in road crashes in Belgium.
• Belgium is 13th out of 27 EU countries in terms of the lowest
numbers of fatalities per million inhabitants.
• Over the period 2012-2021, there has been a higher decrease in
the number of road fatalities compared to the EU average.
• Compared to the EU average, the distribution of fatalities in
Belgium shows a relatively high proportion of cyclist fatalities andfatalities occurred on motorways.
Road Safety Performance Indicators• The use of seat-belts and child restraint systems (CRS) among
passenger car occupants are higher than the EU average, whilst
helmet use among cyclists is somehow lower.
• Self-reported drink-driving is higher than the EU average.
• Belgian passenger cars are significantly younger than the EU
average.
Road Safety Policy Measures & Country Characteristics• BAC level for novice drivers is higher than in most EU countries.
• E-scooters are not allowed on road lanes in contrast with the
majority of the EU countries.
• Belgian road infrastructure is characterized by high road density.
• Belgian population is mainly settled in urban areas.

4C ount ry Profi leBelgium

2. Road Safety Outcomes
2.1 Road Safety Trends
In Belgium, 516 people were killed and 3,098 were seriously injured inroad crashes in 2021 a. Over the period 2012-2021, the number offatalities in Belgium decreased by 38%, which is much higher than theEuropean Union (EU) decrease (25%). The number of serious injuries
showed a lower, but still significant, decrease over the same period(35%).
In terms of mortality rates, 45 road fatalities per million inhabitants
were recorded in 2021, which is at the EU average (45). In contrast
with the EU trend, the mortality rate in Belgium showed a considerable
decrease between 2015 and 2017 and a slight increase in 2019.
Table 1. Number of fatalities and serious injuries, 2012 and 2021
2012
827
4,736

Fatalities
Serious Injuries

2021
516
3,098

Trend
-38%
-35%

EU trend-25%-

Figure 1. Mortality rate development, 2012 – 2021

Fatalites per million
inhabitants

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Belgium

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

European Uniona

It is noted that the global COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the CARE data for2020 and 2021 for many European countries. Traffic volumes dropped sharply during
the pandemic due to traffic restrictions, which was associated with a significant drop
in road traffic crashes and fatalities.

5C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Figure 2. Evolution of serious injuries per million inhabitants, 2012 –2021

Serious injuries per million
inhabitants

450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Belgium

2.2 Risk Figures

Fatalities per million inhabitants

Figure 3. Mortality rates by country, 2021
100
90
80
70
60
50

EU = 45

45

40
30
20
10
0

Taking into account the number of vehicles, fatality rate per ten
thousand vehicles in Belgium is 0.68, just above the EU average.

6

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Figure 4. Fatalities per ten thousand registered vehicles, 2021

2.3 Transport Mode
In 2021 b, car occupants accounted for 41% of road traffic fatalities in
Belgium, which is similar to the percentage observed in the EU as awhole. The percentage of cyclists (17%) on the other hand isconsiderably higher than the respective EU ratio (9%). Pedestrians on
the other hand account for 15% of road fatalities, as opposed to 19%
in the EU.
Over the period 2012-2021, there has been a decrease in the fatalities
and serious injuries in Belgium for all transport modes except for
cyclists. Compared to the EU trends, Belgium recorded higher
reductions in car occupant fatalities (47% vs 28%) and powered twowheelers (33% vs 18%). Concerning serious injuries, the highest
decrease was recorded for occupants of lorries, under 3.5t (52%) andpassenger cars (50%).
Of those vulnerable road users (VRUs: pedestrians, cyclists andpowered two-wheelers) that were fatally injured in Belgium in crashes
involving either passenger cars or buses/coaches or lorries and heavy
goods vehicles, 63% were involved in a crash with a passenger car, and
35% were involved in a crash with a lorry or heavy goods vehicle.
Also, a significant decrease in the number of fatalities in single vehicle
crashes was recorded during the period 2012-2021 (60%), which ismuch higher than the respective EU trend (24%).

Different shares of transport modes in the casualty numbers, as shown in thissection, may also reflect differences in the size of the vehicle fleet and the usage ofdifferent modes rather than a difference in safety level.
b

7

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Table 2: Number of fatalities by transport mode, 2012 and 2021
Bus/coach occupants
Car occupants
Cyclists
Heavy goods vehicles
Lorries, under 3.5t
Other/unknown
Pedestrians
Powered two-wheelers
Total

2012
4
402
84
18
31
55
117
116
827

2021
3
213
87
15
28
17
75
78
516

Trend
-47%
+4%
-17%
-10%
-69%
-36%
-33%
-38%

EU trend
+26%
-28%
-12%
-11%
-14%
-13%
-34%
-18%
-25%

Figure 5. Distribution of road fatalities by transport mode, 2021

European
Union

6%

45%

Belgium

41%
0%

20%

9%
40%

19%

15%
60%

9%

18%

3%

17%

15%

3%

80%

Car occupants

HGVs, Lorries and buses

Powered two-wheelers

Cyclists

Pedestrians

Other/unknown

100%

Table 3: Number of serious injuries by transport mode, 2012 and 2021
Bus/coach occupants
Car occupants
Cyclists
Heavy goods vehicles
Lorries, under 3.5t
Other/unknown
Pedestrians
Powered two-wheelers
Total

2012
8
1,893
921
63
177
111
609
954
4,736

8

2021
12
942
1,006
37
85
74
348
594
3,098

Trend
-50%
+9%
-41%
-52%
-33%
-43%
-38%
-35%

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Table 4: Number of VRU fatalities in crashes involving passenger cars,
buses or coaches and lorries or heavy goods vehicles, 2012 and 2021
Crashes involving busesor coaches
Crashes involving cars
Crashes involving lorries
or heavy goods vehicles

2012

2021

Trend

EU trend

9

4

-

-47%

168

111

-28%

-29%

67

61

-14%

-15%

Table 5: Number of fatalities in single vehicle crashes by transportmode, 2012 and 2021
Bus/coach occupants
Car occupants
Cyclists
Heavy goods vehicles
Lorries, under 3.5t
Other/unknown
Powered two-wheelers
Total

2012

2021
0
67
16
5
6
5
23
122

1
200
15
4
16
29
39
304

Trend
-67%
+7%
-63%
-83%
-41%
-60%

EU trend
+47%
-28%
+37%
-44%
-12%
-20%
-16%
-23%

2.4 Age and Gender
The distribution of road fatalities across age groups in Belgium is similar
to that of the EU, with a slightly higher share of female fatalities aged
between 18 and 49 years old, and a much lower share of females aged
from 50 to 64 years old. Over the period 2012-2021, the number offatalities dropped for all age groups except for females under 18 years
old.
The number of seriously injured persons also decreased for all age
groups for both genders. However, serious injuries within the agegroups over 50 years old showed a less considerable decrease
compared to the younger age groups.

9C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Figure 6. Distribution of road fatalities by age and gender, 2021

FemaleEuropean Union

Belgium

23%

6% 10%

10%

13%

0%
<18

20%

25%

20%
18-24

10%

40%
25-49

40%

40%

60%

50-64

65+

2%

80%

100%

Unknown

Male
European Union 4% 13%

36%

23%

24% 1%

Belgium 3% 12%

37%

21%

25%

0%
<18

20%
18-24

40%
25-49

60%

50-64

65+

80%

2%
100%

Unknown

Table 6: Number of fatalities by age and gender, 2012 and 2021
Female
<18
18-24
25-49
50-64
65+
Unknown
Total
Male
<18
18-24
25-49
50-64
65+
Unknown
Total

2012

2021

Trend

EU trend

12
21
53
36
68
0
190

13
16
31
13
51
2
126

+8%
-24%
-42%
-64%
-25%
-34%

-44%
-40%
-37%
-23%
-25%
-22%
-31%

25
109
239
120
125
1
619

12
45
142
79
94
7
379

-52%
-59%
-41%
-34%
-25%
-39%

-27%
-37%
-30%
-13%
-8%
-9%
-23%

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C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Table 7: Number of serious injuries by age and gender, 2012 and 2021
Female
<18
18-24
25-49
50-64
65+
Unknown
Total
Male
<18
18-24
25-49
50-64
65+
Unknown
Total

2012

2021

Trend

176
216
516
289
328
1
1,526

98
109
322
256
235
1
1,021

-44%
-50%
-38%
-11%
-28%
-33%

310
582
1,337
512
345
1
3,087

173
312
805
445
303
6
2,044

-44%
-46%
-40%
-13%
-12%
-34%

2.5 Area and Road TypeHalf of road fatalities in Belgium occurred on rural roads (50%). The
proportion of fatalities on motorways in Belgium (16%) is somewhat
higher than in the EU as a whole (9%). Over the period 2012-2021, thenumber of fatalities and serious injuries decreased on all road types in
Belgium, with the decrease in fatalities occurred on motorways andrural roads being much higher than the respective EU decreases.
Table 8: Number of fatalities by road type, 2012 and 2021
Motorway
Rural
Urban
Unknown
Total

2012
113
456
233
25
827

2021
81
256
179
0
516

11

Trend
-28%
-44%
-23%
-38%

EU trend
-6%
-28%
-24%
-48%
-25%

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Figure 7. Distribution of road fatalities by road type, 2021

EuropeanUnion

9%Belgium

53%
50%

16%
0%

39%

20%

40%
Motorway

35%

Rural

60%
Urban

80%

100%

Table 9: Number of serious injuries by road type, 2012 and 2021
Motorway
Rural
Urban

2012
530
2,323
1,878

2021
275
1,339
1,482

Trend
-48%
-42%
-21%

Unknown

5

2

-

4,736

3,098

-35%

Total

Figure 8. Distribution of road fatalities inside urban areas by type oftransport mode, 2021

European
Union

28%

Belgium

3%

24%

0%

3%

20%

20%

13%

16%

21%

40%

60%

33%

3%

32%

4%

80%

100%

Car occupants

HGVs, Lorries and BusesPowered two-wheelers

Cyclists

Pedestrians

Other/unknown

2.6 Time Period
The distribution of fatalities by day of the week and time of the day issimilar to that of the EU. Most fatalities occurred during working
weekdays. Over the period 2012-2021, Belgium showed a morefavourable downward trend regarding night-time fatalities during theweekend, which is in line with the EU average.

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C ount ry Profi leBelgium

Table 10: Number of fatalities by time period, 2012 and 2021
2012
429
79

2021
316
48

Trend
-26%
-39%

EU trend-21%-30%

Weekend - Daytime

179

97

-46%

-25%

Weekend - Night-time

119

55

-54%

-39%

Unknown
Total

21
827

0
516

-36%

-75%
-25%

Working week - Daytime
Working week- Night-time

Figure 9. Distribution of road fatalities by time period, 2021

European
Union

59%

Belgium

61%
20%

0%

8%
9%
40%

60%

Working week - Daytime
Weekend - Daytime

23%
19%
80%

10%
11%
100%

Working week- Night-time
Weekend - Night-time

2.7 Lighting and Weather Conditions
According to the distribution of fatalities by lighting and weather
conditions, the majority of fatalities both in Belgium and in the EU
occurred during daylight and with dry weather conditions. During
darkness and under raining conditions, road fatalities in Belgium
decreased more than in the EU on average.
Table 11: Number of fatalities by lighting and weather conditions, 2012
and 2021
Lighting Conditions
Daylight
Twilight
Darkness
Weather Conditions
Dry
Rain
Other/Unknown

2012

2021

Trend

EU trend

407
28
283

317
34
157

-22%
+21%
-45%

-17%
-25%
-33%

581
82
164

423
49
44

-27%
-40%
-73%

-24%
-28%
-25%

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3. Safety Performance Indicators
3.1 Road User Behaviour
Table 12: Road Safety Performance Indicators, 2022 or latest available
year
BelgiumEU

Speeding% of passenger cars travelling within speed limits1
Motorways
56.4

-

c

Rural Roads

51.8

-

Urban Roads

39.9

-

Front

93.8

93.3

Rear

79.0

75.5

73.3

67.0

PTW driver

99.8

97.0

PTW passenger

100.0

94.4

23.8

37.8

19.0

11.8

Seat belt & CRS use rates (%)1,2

Child restraint systems
Helmet use rates (%)

1

CyclistDUI of Alcohol3(self-reported)% car drivers have driven at least oncein the last 30 days over the legal limit
Driver Distraction1% of drivers not using hand-heldmobile device/phone while driving

96.8

94.8

Sources: Baseline project, ETSC (2022), ESRA3 project (2024), national sources
1

2

3

4

An EU average is not available for speeding, due to different legal speed limits among
countries, which does not allow for a straightforward comparison. Please also notethat for some Safety Performance Indicators of Section 3, the EU average is based ona small number of EU Member States with available data (see Section 6.1).
c

14

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3.2 Vehicle Safety
Table 13: Vehicle Safety Performance Indicators, 2019
Belgium% of new passenger cars rated with 4
EuroNCAP stars and above1
Average age of passenger car fleet (years)2

EU

83.0

83.6

9.2

11.8

Sources: 1Baseline project, 2ACEA (2022)

3.3 Enforcement
Table 14: Number of traffic police tickets per thousand population,
2020
Tickets per 1,000 population
Speeding
Non-use of seat-belt
Illegal use of mobile phone
Driving above legal alcohol limits

Belgium
352.3
3.7
9.3
2.7

Source: ETSC (2022)

15

EU
139.7
5.7
4.4
1.9

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

4. Road Safety Policy and Measures
4.1 National Road Safety Strategy
Table 15: National road safety strategy and targets
Timeframe
Lead Authority
Targets
Fatalities
Serious injuries
Baseline Year

Belgium
2021-2025
Federal Service Mobility & transport together with Federal
Minister of Transport + regional authorities (MOW, AWSR,Brussels Mobility), Vias institute-50% by 2030, -100% by 2050
-50% by 2030, -90% by 2050
2019
Yes, for all behavioural KPIs (speed, distraction, helmet for
SPIs
motorcyclists, seatbelt & CRS, alcohol) – 50% by 2030
https://all-for-zero.be/storage/minisites/plan-federal-securiteLink
routiere.pdf
Source: national sources

4.2 Traffic Laws and Regulations
National road safety legislation in Belgium reflects the situation in the
majority of EU countries. Remarkable is that e-scooters are allowedfrom 16 years, which is stricter than in other EU countries.
Table 16: National road safety legislation
Speed limits forpassenger cars (km/h)
Urban roads
Rural roads
Motorways
Allowed BAC levels (g/l)
General population
Novice drivers

Belgium

Most common in EU

50
90
120

50: 26/27
90: 17/27
130: 14/27

0.5
0.5

0.5: 19/27
0.2: 12/27, 0.0: 9/27
0.2: 10/27, 0.0: 9/27,
0.5: 6/27

Professional drivers

0.2

Seatbelt requirement
Drivers
Front Passenger
Rear Passenger
Child restraint systems

Yes
Yes
Yes

CRS requiredChildren in front seats

Up to 18 years / 135 cm
Allowed in CRS

16

Yes: 27/27
Yes: 27/27
Yes: 27/27
up to 135 cm: 11/27,
up to 150 cm: 11/27
Allowed in CRS: 22/27

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

BelgiumChildren on motorcycles
Helmet requirement
Powered Two Wheelers
All roads
All engines
Cyclists
Age restriction
Mobile phone use
Hand-held phone use allowed
Hands-free phone use allowed
E-scooters

Prohibited under 3 years
Yes
Yes
Yes
Not mandatory (Strongly
recommended)
Not restricted
No
Yes

Most common in EU
Prohibited under certain
age/height: 18/27
Yes: 27/27
Yes: 27/27
Yes: 25/27
Not mandatory: 19/27
Not restricted: 16/27
No: 26/27
Yes: 27/27

Not restricted: 9/27,
Allowed from 14 years: 6/27
Max. speed limit
25 km/h
25 km/h: 18/27
Helmet requiredNo
Not required: 12/27
Allowed on road lanes
No (only on bike paths)
Yes: 18/27
Allowed on pavements
No
No: 13/27, Yes: 9/27
Allowed on bicycle paths
Yes
Yes: 21/27
Sources: EC (2023), WHO (2018), FERSI (2020), National sources
Age restriction

Allowed from 16 years

4.3 Driving Licences
Table 17: Policies and regulations related to driving licences
Belgium

Most common in EU

Novice Drivers
Accompanied driving

17 years old

Probation period for novice
drivers
Renewal Procedure
Renewal procedure (compulsory)
Renewal interval

3 years
Yes
Every 10 years

Medical requirements
Source: National sources

Yes

17

17 years: 13/27,
No: 7/27
2 years: 7/27,
3 years: 5/27
Yes: 26/27
Εvery 10yrs: 13/27
Εvery 15yrs: 9/27
Yes: 22/27

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

4.4 Road Infrastructure
Table 18: Policies and regulations related to road infrastructure
Belgium

Most common in EU

Audits or star rating required for
new road infrastructure

Yes

Yes: 10/27,
Partial:17/27

Inspections / star rating of existing
roads

Yes

Yes:26/27

Design standards for the safety ofpedestrians / cyclists

Yes

Yes:25/27

Investments to upgrade high risk
locations

Yes

Yes:20/27

Policies & investment in urban
public transport

Yes

Yes:23/27

Subnational

Yes: 21/27

Policies promoting walking andcycling
Source: WHO (2018)18

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

5. Structure and Culture
5.1 Country Characteristics
Population density in Belgium is much higher than the EU average, withthe population being mainly settled in urban areas. Its GDP per capita
is above the EU average.
Table 19: Country Characteristics, 2021
Belgium
Demographics2
Population
11,554,767
2
Population density (inh./km )378.9% children (0-17)
20.1% adults (18-64)
60.6% elderly (65+)
19.3% of urban population
98.4
2
Economic Data
GDP per capita (euro)
43,350
1
Infrastructure
Country Area (km2)
30,667
Road network length (km)155,210
Road density (km/km2)
5.06% of motorways
1.14% GDP spent to road infrastructure3
0.3
1Vehicle Fleet
Vehicles per population
0.67% of passenger cars
76.9
% of motorcycles
9.9% of HGVs
13.0% of buses
0.2
1
Exposure
Modal split of passenger transport onland (passenger-km in %):- Passenger cars
84.9
- Bus/coach/Metro/Tram
9.0
Modal split of freight transport on land
(tonne-km in %):- Road76.8- Rail9.5
1
Environment
CO2 emissions from road transport
22.7(million tonnes)
Share of road transport emissions in
42.3
total transport emissions (%)
Sources: 1EC (2023b), 2Eurostat, 3OECD (2023)

19

EU
447,000,548
109.0
18.2
61.6
20.3
75.2
32,5604,225,134
4,473,380
1.10
1.67
0.4
0.73
77.3
11.4
11.1
0.2

85.2
8.7

74.6
16.4
739.8
76.3

C ount ry Profi leBelgium

5.2 Structure of Road Safety Management
Table 20: Road Safety Management Structure
Key Functions

Formulation of nationalroad safety strategy

Monitoring of the roadsafety development
Improvements in roadinfrastructure

Improvement invehiclesImprovement in roaduser education

Key Actors
Federal Ministers responsible for Mobility, Interior
Affairs and Justice, and the associated federal publicauthorities- Federal Commission for Road Safety (advisory body)- Police- Regional Ministers and the associated public authorities
and advisory bodies: Conseil supérieur Wallon deSécurité Routière (CWSR); Bruxelles Mobilité (BM);Vlaams Forum Verkeeersveiligheid; Departement
Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken-/-

Publicity campaigns

Enforcement of traffic
laws

Other relevant actors
Source: National sources-

Department of Mobility and Public Works (Flanders) –AWV (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer)
Direction générale opérationnelle Routes et Bâtiments(DGO1) (Wallonia) - SPW (Service Public de Wallonie)
Bruxelles Mobilité (Brussels)
Towns and communes
UNECE
European Commission, DG Market, Industry,
entrepreneurship and SMEs and DG MOVE
Federal Public Service for Mobility and Transport
Vehicle Manufacturers
Group of companies undertaking car inspections
Group of companies undertaking car inspections anddriving license at federal level
Ministers for Education and the associated regional
public authorities/departments
Regional Ministers and the associated publicauthorities
Driving schools
Regional Authorities: Vlaamse Stichting
Verkeerskunde (VSV), Agence Wallonne pour laSécurité Routière (AWSR), Bruxelles Mobilité (BM)Vias instituteNGOs, associations, entreprises, etc.
Federal Police
Local Police
Regional authorities for certain regionalised matters
Federal Ministry of Justice and courts
Vias instituteVSV (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde), AWSR(Agence Wallone pour la Sécurité Routière)
NGOs

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5.3 Self-declared behaviour & Attitudes
Table 21: Self-declared behaviour and attitudes
Ranking among
EU countries

Belgium

EU Average

24.0

17.0

16/18

55.7

55.7

9/18

19.2

17.2

12/18

18.5
43.3

16.8
34.4

6/18
4/18

18.0

15.0

6/18

75.7

76.6

13/18

37.1

38.3

9/18

55.0

60.1

12/18

Risk Taking% at least once in the past 30 days
- drive after drinking alcohol- drive faster than the speed limit
inside urban areas- transport children under 150cm
without using CRS
Enforcement Perception% of likely of being checked for- drink-driving- respecting speed limits- using of hand-held mobile phone
while driving
Support for policy measures% of support to a legal obligation to- zero tolerance for all novice
drivers- limiting the speed limit to
30km/h in all built-up areas(except on main thoroughfares)- requiring all cyclists to wear ahelmetSource: ESRA3 project (2024)

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6. Notes
6.1 Data Sources
CARE (Community database on road accidents in Europe)
All information in section 1 of the Country Profile is based on the CARE
database. The full glossary of definitions of variables used in this Reportis available at EC Mobility & Transport - Road Safety webpage.
The European average is based on the average of the 27 EU countries.
EU trends and aggregated figures are based on the most recent figuresavailable (2021). In case of missing values, the EU averages andaggregated data were produced by imputing figures based on data fromprevious years. For values less than 10, the trend is not shown since it
may be due to randomness. Also, due to missing data on serious
injuries for some EU countries, EU total/average is not calculated. Dateof extraction: July 2023
ACEA (2022)
European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. The automobile
industry - Pocket guide 2022/2023. ACEA, 2022.
https://www.acea.auto/files/ACEA_Pocket_Guide_2022-2023.pdf
Data on the average age of the passenger car fleet come from the
ACEA. The European average is based on the average of 24 EU
countries. Date of extraction: July 2023
Baseline project
Information in section 3 is based on Key Performance Indicators
collected within the Baseline project.
https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/statistics-andanalysis/data-and-analysis/key-performance-indicators-kpis_en
Alternative sources were used for countries with no available data in
the Baseline project (e.g., ETSC, national sources). The European
average is based on the average of 17 EU countries for speeding, 23
EU countries for seat-belt use, 13 EU countries for CRS use, 14 EU
countries for helmet use, 14 EU countries for driver distraction and 13
EU countries for vehicle safety. Date of extraction: July 2023
European Commission 2023
Data were retrieved from EC Mobility & Transport - Road Safety
website:https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/drivingabroad/road-rules-and-safety/index_en.htm
Date of extraction: July 2023
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European Commission – Statistical Pocketbook 2023 (b)European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport.
EU transport in figures – Statistical pocketbook 2023. Publications
Office of the European Union, 2023. Date of extraction: November 2023
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2832/319371
Eurostat
Data were retrieved from Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
The European average is based on the average of the 27 EU countries.
Date of extraction: July 2023
ESRA project
Information in sections 3 (drink-driving) and 5.3 is based on data fromthe ESRA 3 (E-Survey of Road Users’ Attitudes) project (2023).
https://www.esranet.eu/
The European average is the average of 17 EU countries. In the rankingof the countries in Table 21, Switzerland is also included. Date ofextraction: November 2023
ETSC
Information in section 3 is based on data from the following ETSC
report. The European average is the average of 24 European countries
for all indicators, except the alcohol related tickets (20 countries).
European Transport Safety Council. How traffic law enforcement cancontribute to safer roads. PIN Flash Report 42. ETSC, 2022.
https://etsc.eu/how-traffic-law-enforcement-can-contribute-to-saferroads-pin-flash-42/
FERSI (2020)
Kamphuis, K. & van Schagen, I. (2020) E-scooters in Europe: legal
status, usage and safety. Results of a survey in FERSI countries. FERSI
paper. https://fersi.org/. Date of extraction: July 2023
IRTAD (International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group)
Data related to the percentage of GDP spent to road infrastructure(Section
5.1)
isretrieved
from
the
OECD
database:https://stats.oecd.org/. Date of extraction: July 2023
WHO
Data were retrieved from the WHO Global Status Report on Road
Safety, published in 2018. The European average is based on the
average of the 27 EU countries.
https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/
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2018/en/. Date of extraction: July 2023

6.2 Definitions
Road Crash
Any crash involving at least one road vehicle in motion on a public roador private road to which the public has right of access, resulting in atleast one injured or killed person. Data are based on police reports andthere may be an underestimate because of underreporting (especiallyfor non-fatal crashes and crashes not involving a motorised vehicle).
Fatalities
Total number of persons fatally injured within 30 days of the roadcrash; correction factors applied when needed. Confirmed suicide andnatural death are not included.
Seriously injured (at 30 days)
Total number of persons seriously injured corrected by correction
factors when needed. Injured (although not killed) in the road crashand hospitalized at least 24 hours. The definition of “serious injury”
varies considerably among EU countries, affecting, thus, the reliabilityof cross-country comparisons.
Lorry, under 3.5tn
Goods vehicle under 3.5t maximum gross weight. Smaller motor
vehicles used only for the transport of goods.
Heavy Goods Vehicles
Goods vehicle over 3.5t maximum gross weight. Larger motor vehicles
used only for the transport of goods.
Powered two-wheelers
Driver or passenger of either a moped (two or three wheeled vehicle
equipped with engine size of maximum 50cc and maximum speed that
does not exceed 45 km/h. A moped can also have an electric motor.
Speed pedelecs and electric powered bicycles that offer pedal
assistance up to 45 km/h, also belong to this category of vehicles.) ora motorcycle (motor vehicle with two or three wheels, with an engine
size of more than 50 cc. A motorcycle can also have an electric motor.).
Working week – Daytime
Monday to Friday 6.00 a.m. to 9.59 p.m.
Working week – Night-time
Monday 10 p.m. to Tuesday 5.59 a.m.
Tuesday 10 p.m. to Wednesday 5.59 a.m.
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Wednesday 10 p.m. to Thursday 5.59 a.m.
Thursday 10 p.m. to Friday 5.59 a.m.
Weekend – Daytime
Saturday to Sunday 6.00 a.m. to 9.59 p.m.
Weekend – Night-time
Friday 10 p.m. to Saturday 5.59 a.m.
Saturday 10 p.m. to Sunday 5.59 a.m.
Sunday 10 p.m. to Monday 5.59 a.m.
Speeding
The percentage of passenger cars travelling within legal maximum
speed limits based on roadside measurements during daytime.
Seat belt & CRS use rates
The percentage of passenger car occupants using seat belts and child
restraint systems (CRS) based on roadside observations during
daytime.
Helmet use rates
The percentage of powered two-wheeler riders and cyclists using
helmets based on roadside observations during daytime. Helmet use
rates for cyclists in some countries concern only urban roads. Please
note that in some countries, the use of helmets is not obligatory for
cyclists (see Table 16).
DUI of Alcohol
The percentage of car drivers who have driven at least once in the last
30 days over the legal alcohol limit based on a self-reported survey.
Driver Distraction
The percentage of drivers not using a hand-held mobile device/phone
while driving based on roadside surveys during daytime on working
days. The vehicle types included are passenger cars, light goods
vehicles and buses/coaches.
Explanations of symbols in tables:/ : not available- : not applicable (e.g. calculation cannot be performed)

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