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 675 road traffic deaths in 2024, 45 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 2024, 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) and dossiers at district public prosecutor’s offices.
• An overview of all dossiers.

Department of Public Works database extracted from police accident reports.

Rijkswaterstaat, which is part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. These time series are based solely on police accident reports.