Road traffic fatalities

A road user who has died as a result of a sudden incident on a public road on Dutch territory which was related to traffic and in which at least one moving vehicle was involved. The victim died within 30 days after the traffic accident. 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 part of a train or tramway track, which is not part of the public road and can only be used by trains or trams;
• the victim dies 30 or more days after the accident;
• the victim dies due to murder or manslaughter, or suicide;
• the victim shows no sign of life at the time of birth, regardless of the gestational age (stillbirth).

Of the 684 road traffic fatalities in 2023, 50 persons were not registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP). These were mainly non-residents who were on the road in the Netherlands for business or leisure.

For the year 2023, the calculation of annual traffic accident mortality in the Netherlands is based on data from three sources:

• medical cause-of-death certificates completed by an examining physician (forensic doctor);
• dossiers at district public prosecutor’s offices;
• Department of Public Works database extracted from police accident reports.

The results of this integrated approach to traffic accident mortality are available from the 1996 calendar year onwards. Series with figures referring to earlier years can be obtained from Rijkswaterstaat, which is part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. These time series are based solely on police accident reports.