In total, 582 people died in traffic accidents last year, the lowest level
since 2015, when 621 people were killed on the roads, national statistics
office CBS said on Wednesday. Half the victims were over the age of 60.

The drop may be down to reduced traffic because of the coronavirus
regulations, as well as government campaigns, particularly against drinking
and driving, the CBS said.

Of those killed, 207 were cyclists, including 80 e-bike users. Some 175
were in a car – either as driver or passenger, 43 were pedestrians and 32
were using a mobility scooter.

Compared with 2000, the number of people killed in traffic accidents has
halved, despite the population growth. Yet while the number of car users
killed in traffic accidents has gone down by two thirds since the turn of
the century, there has been little change in the number of cyclists to die
on the roads, the CBS said.

On Tuesday, the safety research group VeiligheidNL said that more cyclists
in the Netherlands are being seriously injured in traffic accidents, and
the over-55s account for one third of the victims.

In total, the number of seriously injured traffic accident victims has
risen 18% over the past 10 years and two-thirds of the 110,000 people
treated in hospital last year were cyclists, VeiligheidNL said.

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Spike