This statistical report presents the characteristics of road traffic accidents and victims recorded by police forces in Belgium in 2012. This report only includes accidents in which at least one person was injured or killed. The figures published in this report have been taken from a database compiled by the police services. The data were collected using accident analysis forms completed by the police following an accident that resulted in physical injury. As is the case for any database relating to accidents, the database used in this report does not include all accidents resulting in physical injury that actually occurred. In fact, accidents resulting in physical injury and their victims are under-reported. The main reason for this under-reporting is the failure to systematically report accidents to the police, even though this is obligatory if the damage caused by an accident is not restricted to material damage. It is estimated that between 5 and 10% of deaths and two-thirds of injured parties are not included in the database. Under-reporting is more common in certain situations, such as when an accident involves a cyclist or if no other party is involved. (Author/publisher)
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