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Off the road in Roosendaal
Tuesday 9 February 2016
The bend in the A58 motorway at Roosendaal was registered as the most dangerous section of road in the Netherlands, in 2015. Between hectometre markers 94.0 and 94.9 on the right-hand carriageway of the A58 motorway, 55 accidents occurred. The recovery company responsible in this area is Autoberging Kerstens. Director Arthur Kerstens blamed the many accidents on the fact that the asphalt on this relatively sharp bend wears quickly, leading to a slippery road surface. The planting in the central reservation also means that the road section is often in shadow, and as a result is damp and dark. The number of accidents on this road section has risen sharply over the past few years, from an average of 21 per year in the period 2010 - 2012 to 32 in 2013 and 43 in 2014. The road was recently resurfaced with special asphalt intended to provide more grip to passing vehicles.
Kerstens vehicle recovery
The second, fifth and ninth place in the top ten of most dangerous road sections in 2015 went to three sections of road around the Kleinpolderplein junction in Rotterdam. Most accidents occurred here on the southern carriageway of the A20 between the Spaanse Polder turnoff and Kleinpolderplein (A20 Right 28.0 - 28.9). This is the only section of road that has occupied a place in the top ten of most dangerous road sections throughout the period 2010 - 2015. Peter Quartel, the recovery operator on this section, expects the situation to change in 2016, as a result of the opening of the A4 motorway between Delft and Schiedam. There is less traffic on the A20 which in his opinion already results in considerably less incidents.
New bridge over the A1 at Muiderberg (photograph Google)
The road situation in Amsterdam was calmer in 2015 than in previous years. The most eye-catching road section was the bend in the A1 motorway to Almere (A1 Right 15.0 - 15.9). The number of accidents on this road section rose from on average 13 per year in 2010 - 2013 to 34 in 2014 and 49 in 2015. Since 2014, this section of road has looked out across the construction of the new bridge over the A1 motorway. According to Edwin de Groot of recovery company Bergnet, this view distracts many car drivers to such an extent that they have an accident.
Most dangerous road sections in 2015
| Ranking 2015 | Ranking 2014 | Road | Carriageway | Hectometre marker | Accidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2) | A58 | Re | 94,0 - 94,9 | 55 |
| 2 | (8) | A20 | Re | 28,0 - 28,9 | 52 |
| 3 | (13) | A1 | Re | 15,0 - 15,9 | 49 |
| 4 | (6) | A12 | Li | 27,0 - 27,9 | 43 |
| 5 | (14) | A20 | Li | 30,0 - 30,9 | 43 |
| 6 | (38) | A10 | Re | 13,0 - 13,9 | 41 |
| 7 | (4) | A2 | Li | 31,0 - 31,9 | 40 |
| 8 | (29) | A12 | Li | 28,0 - 28,9 | 39 |
| 9 | (34) | A20 | Re | 29,0 - 29,9 | 38 |
| 10 | (10) | A16 | Li | 21,0 - 21,9 | 37 |
The rankings contained in this report are based on absolute numbers of accidents per road section. No relationship is established between the number of accidents and traffic intensity on the road section in question. Accidents reported directly to emergency services, control centres or the Central Truck Reporting Point and not to Stichting Incident Management Nederland are not included in the figures. Road sections consisting of multiple carriageways, for example at intersections and roads with parallel carriageways are included in the overview as if they were a single carriageway. This means that the figures at the locations in question are not automatically comparable with the numbers at locations with just a single carriageway.