Collision corner
Friday, 10 January 2025
In 2024, the most dangerous stretch of road on the primary road network of the Netherlands was a section measuring one hundred metres. It was the sharp bend in the exit from the eastbound (southerly) carriageway of the A1 to the A30 at Barneveld. This portion of asphalt at hectometre marker A1 Re 54.4a has long been known as 'Collision Corner', or Botsbocht, locally. There were 25 collisions here in 2024. On the Dutch primary road network as a whole, there were just two other hectometre sections on which the number of accidents exceeded 12. The exit slip road from the A4 to Hoofddorp at hectometre marker 11.3a was the site of 16 accidents. And another 20 kilometres further, at Zoeterwoude, the main carriageway of the A4 at hectometre marker 33.5 registered the same score.

Collision Corner on 28 November 2024 at 6.30 p.m. The people from the burning vehicle were uninjured. (photo credit: WH Fotografie)
Under normal circumstances, Stichting IMN assesses the distribution of accidents on the primary road network on the basis of sections of road with a length of one kilometre. We have done this for 2024 in the table below. In this list, the figure logged for the corresponding section of the main carriageway includes accidents on service roads and exit slip roads, where applicable. On the main carriageway of the A1 in 2024, for instance, there was a single accident at hectometre marker 54.4 (without the "a" slip road identifier). This relatively innocent section of road has nothing to do with the sharp bend at Barneveld, but has been added to the figures for individual kilometre-long stretches of road that include Collision Corner.
Most dangerous 1 km sections of road in 2024
Rank 2024 | Rank 2023 | Road | Carriageway | Hectometre | Accidents |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | (1) | A10 | Li | 30,0 - 30,9 | 76 |
2 | (25) | A20 | Re | 30,0 - 30,9 | 48 |
3 | (2) | A4 | Re | 33,0 - 33,9 | 47 |
4 | (15) | A10 | Re | 15,0 - 15,9 | 46 |
5 | (3) | A4 | Li | 74,0 - 74,9 | 41 |
6 | (47) | A1 | Re | 54,0 - 54,9 | 38 |
7 | (5) | A20 | Li | 34,0 - 34,9 | 37 |
8 | (16) | A1 | Re | 53,0 - 53,9 | 36 |
9 | (23) | A4 | Re | 11,0 - 11,9 | 35 |
10 | (12) | A4 | Li | 73,0 - 73,9 | 35 |
Anyone who analyses the data on which this list is based can see that the accidents in the one-kilometre sections are often concentrated on a small section of road. That is very true of the three examples referred to above. Each of them can be found within kilometre-long sections of road that make the top ten for 2024. But this is something repeated in almost all of the kilometre-long sections in the list. The large number of collisions at these specific locations can often be easily explained. Collision Corner at Barneveld is the sharpest bend in the Dutch motorway network.
Halfway along, the exit slip road at Hoofddorp splits into a lane to Hoofddorp and a lane to Aalsmeer. Hectometre marker 11.3 a is the last point at which road users in the Aalsmeer lane can change to the Hoofddorp lane. They would have to be pretty desperate at that point, as there are double unbroken stripes marked on the road surface. That tends not to end well for those daring enough to try it anyway. The same applies to the peak at Zoeterwoude. Hectometre marker 33.5 is just before the hatched markings (white diagonal stripes) that indicate the end of the outside lane of the A4.

Just enough time to nip in front at Zoeterwoude on Saturday, 9 November 2024 at 2.55 p.m. (photo credit: AS Media)
The entry portal to the southbound (westerly) shaft of the Coen Tunnel strengthened its iron grip at the head of the kilometre-long section table in 2024. This stretch of road also led the list in 2021, 2022 and 2023. But a new record was set with 76 accidents in a single year. And the difference to the other sections of road on the list was bigger than ever.
Most dangerous 5-km sections of road in 2024
Rank 2024 | Rank 2024 | Road | Carriageway | Hectometre | Accidents |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | (1) | A4 | Li | 70 - 75 | 122 |
2 | (2) | A20 | Li | 30 - 35 | 115 |
3 | (4) | A16 | Li | 15 - 20 | 114 |
4 | (23) | A10 | Re | 20 - 25 | 113 |
5 | (24) | A16 | Re | 20 - 25 | 108 |
6 | (11) | A10 | Li | 30 - 35 | 101 |
7 | (7) | A10 | Re | 15 - 20 | 99 |
8 | (10) | A4 | Re | 70 - 75 | 98 |
9 | (3) | A16 | Li | 20 - 25 | 98 |
10 | (17) | A20 | Re | 30 - 35 | 94 |
Of the ten five-kilometre stretches with the most accidents in 2024, seven were on the Rotterdam ring road. This will probably be different next year. December 2024 saw the opening of the Maasdelta Tunnel at Maassluis to general traffic. This corridor under the Scheur will relieve the Benelux Tunnel (sections 1 and 8 on the list). And even more effect is expected later this year, when the new section of the A16, between Zestienhoven and the Terbregseplein opens. This road will not only provide relief for the A20 (ranks 2 and 10), but also make it all but redundant for local traffic.