Road traffic fatalities
A deceased person is not counted as a traffic death if:
• the accident occurs at a location which is closed to public road traffic and other traffic;
• the accident occurs on a train or tramway track which does not form part of a public road and which can only be used by trains or trams;
• the victim dies after 30 or more days following the accident;
• the victim was previously classified as a murder or suicide victim.
Of the 582 traffic deaths in 2021, 23 persons were not registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP). These were mainly non-residents who participated in traffic for work or holidays in the Netherlands.
The calculation of annual traffic accident mortality in the Netherlands is based on data from three different sources: medical cause-of-death certificates completed by an examining physician (forensic doctor); dossiers at district public prosecutor’s offices, and data of Rijkswaterstaat extracted from police accident reports.
The results of this integrative approach of traffic accident mortality are available from the 1996 calendar year. Series referring to earlier years can be obtained from Rijkswaterstaat, which is part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. These time series are solely based on police accident reports.