Fewer people than ever died in traffic accidents across Belgium last year — but in Brussels, it was a deadlier year for cyclists.
In 2023, the country recorded its lowest number of road deaths since records began in the 1970s. Just over 480 people died in road traffic incidents, down 7 per cent from the previous year and 31 per cent below figures a decade ago, Belgian news agency Belga reported on May 7.
Brussels saw the sharpest decline. Deaths on its roads fell from 21 in 2022 to just five in 2023 — a historic low. But that figure doubled again in 2024, reaching 10 fatalities. Among the victims were six pedestrians, two motorists and one cyclist.
“The decline in the number of deaths from car accidents is mainly the result of strict speed limits in the Brussels region, speed being one of the three main factors in mortality, along with driving under the influence and driving with distractions,” Georges Gilkinet, who was Minister of mobility until a few months earlier, told Brussels Signal. “And, to a lesser extent, by the reduction in the number of cars in the city”.
Indeed, a number of measures have been implemented in the Brussels region in recent years to reduce both the speed and the number of cars.
The national picture shows a paradox, Statbel, the Belgian office for statistics reported. While total road casualties have declined — from 45,692 in 2022 to 44,787 in 2023 — certain categories of users remain stubbornly at risk. Cyclist deaths in Belgium rose slightly to 96 in 2023, the highest number in two decades. Motorcyclist fatalities dropped that year to a record low of 49 — to rise again in 2024, reaching 55.
“The increase in the number of cycling accidents is linked to the increase in the absolute number of cyclists in the city, even if the
percentage of cycling accidents is decreasing thanks to specific measures for bicycles, [such as] cycle lanes,” said Gilkinet.
“It is just a problem of numerator, although efforts to reduce the number of accidents must continue”, he clarified.
Men remain disproportionately affected, accounting for four out of five road deaths. They represent 96 per cent of motorcyclist fatalities, and three-quarters of deaths among car drivers and cyclists. The gap, according to Belgian Vias Institute’s Road Safety Barometer, is linked to higher risk-taking behaviour such as speeding, driving under the influence and phone use behind the wheel.
The Brussels-Capital Region offers a nuanced example. Injuries from road accidents continued to fall in 2023, reaching their lowest level in a decade, but rose again in 2024. However the numbers might be too low to be statistically significant: from 21 deaths recorded in 2022, to 5 in 2023, to 10 in 2024.
In Brussels, serious injuries rose from 160 to 198 in a year, primarily among motorists and motorcyclists. Cycling injuries in the city have dropped significantly since 2010 — even as the number of cyclists has grown — thanks to sustained investments in infrastructure and safety measures.
Meanwhile, fatal crashes on Thursday nights are becoming more common across Belgium. Nearly 40 per cent of weeknight road deaths now occur between Thursday and Friday, a time increasingly associated with nightlife.
On the other hand, traffic enforcement in Belgium has tightened, with more speed checks and stricter e-scooter rules credited for the improving trend.
Across the European Union, road fatalities also declined in 2024, according to a March 2025 report of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport.
Around 19,800 people died in road crashes across the bloc last year, a 3 per cent drop from 2023, according to the European Commission. Sweden and Denmark remained the safest countries, while Romania and Bulgaria had the highest fatality rates.
Yet, the Commission warned that most member states are not on track to halve road deaths by 2030, the EU’s official target.
