Number of pedestrian deaths on the rise

The number of fatal accidents involving pedestrians in Flanders has increased 4% in the past five years, writes De Standaard according to a report from the Belgian Institute for Road Safety (BIVV) and the Centre of expertise in Traffic Safety.

“The number of road fatalities in Flanders has dropped significantly in recent years,” says Werner De Dobbeleer, spokesman for the Flemish Foundation for Traffic Engineering (VSV), from 546 victims in 2007 to 370 in 2013, a 32.2% decrease.

“Unfortunately, the number of pedestrian fatalities has not gone down. In 2012, 51 pedestrians were killed on Flemish roads, an increase of 4% over the 2005-2007 period,” says De Dobbeleer.

The number of fatalities among cyclists, however, dropped 15 percent in the same period, to 64 victims.