It is not precisely known how often wrong-way driving occurs in the Netherlands. Reported wrong-way drivers are registered by the Dutch Traffic Information Service (VID). The figure below shows the number of reported wrong‑way drivers registered by the VID. From 2012 to 2017, the annual number of reports has varied between 100 and 150. However, a reported wrong-way driver does not mean that there is or has in fact been a wrong‑way driver. We must take into account that some of the reported incidents are not correct. In 2015, Verkeersnet [1] reported that VID estimates that about half of the reported incidents do indeed concern a wrong-way driver. In comparison, according to Gerlach & Seipel [2], in Germany about 25 to 50% of the reported incidents (most likely) concern an actual wrong-way driver. In addition, we cannot exclude that there also are some wrong-way driving incidents that are not reported. About their number nothing can be said.
In recent years the number of reported incidents seems to be increasing. It is not clear whether this increase means that wrong-way driving is more frequent, or that incidents are reported more often (e.g. because it is easier to make a phone call from inside the vehicle).
Figure 1. Number of reported wrong-way driving incidents in the period 2012 – 2017 (* up to and including October 2017). Data: Traffic Information Service (VID).
