By means of: Sanne Brussels residents
6 minutes ago
General
THOLEN – It is a criminal offense to drive away after an accident. Yet things often go wrong on Zeeland’s roads: last year, 1,150 reports of road users were made. There were relatively many victims, especially in Vlissingen. In one year, 160 drivers drove away in this municipality after being involved in an accident. This is evident from research by Independer based on police figures and data from the Guarantee Fund.
Colliding with a parked car, driving over a fence or hitting another road user: drivers who cause damage to the vehicle or personal injury must always report to the victim. Even though driving away is a punishable offense, things often went wrong in Zeeland last year. However, there has been a significant decrease in the number of incidents compared to 2022 (-14.2 percent). This is even the strongest decrease of all provinces.
These municipalities have the most road users
Within Zeeland, Vlissingen is the leader. Last year, 160 reports were filed here for driving away after an accident. There were also many victims in Middelburg and Terneuzen. The top 5 municipalities in Zeeland:
- Vlissingen: 160 reports of driving away after an accident
- Middelburg: 150 reports for driving away after an accident
- Terneuzen: 150 reports of driving away after an accident
- Schouwen-Duiveland: 140 reports of driving away after an accident
- Goes: 125 reports of driving away after an accident
In Noord-Beveland, a report was drawn up least often for driving away after an accident: 20 in one year.
Imprisonment for 3 months
Driving through carries a maximum prison sentence of 3 months and a fine of up to 8,100 euros. A person can also lose their driver’s license for up to five years. There is an exception to that law. If the driver still reports to the police within 12 hours, there will be no prosecution for the driver.
Source: Independent
