Cycling accidents in Brussels

What the map shows

Each point is an injury accident recorded by the police and published by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. As with the French data, severity is shown by colour.

Clusters appear on the main approach roads, around the inner ring and at busy junctions. A concentration reflects cycling volumes as much as danger.

The most common configurations

A vehicle turning right across the path of a cyclist going straight on remains the most frequent configuration, and the most serious with a heavy vehicle.

Three local factors deserve attention. Tram rails, always to be crossed at right angles. Cobbles, slippery and destabilising in the wet. And the gradient, which raises speeds on the descents towards the lower city.

Where the data comes from

The data comes from the road accident statistics published by Statbel. It is official but retrospective, and the Belgian dataset gives the month rather than the exact day.

Frequently asked questions

Does this map record every cycling accident?

No. Only injury accidents that gave rise to a police report enter the Statbel statistics. Falls on their own — including on rails or cobbles — are absent.

Is the data up to date?

It follows the Statbel publication schedule: the latest year available covers a completed calendar year.

Has the 30 km/h limit changed anything?

The city-wide 30 km/h limit, in force since 2021, acts on the severity of impacts more than on their number: a lower speed markedly reduces the consequences of a collision.

Do these accidents change the routes suggested in Brussels?

Not yet, as route planning does not cover the Brussels Region. Where it works, the layer weighs on the safety score.

Sources and licences

• Géolocalisation des accidents de la circulation — Statbel · statbel.fgov.be · CC BY 4.0

Each dataset and its licence are listed on the Data sources page.