The left-hander in Zaandam

Tuesday, 16 February 2021
The last kilometre of the A7 at Knooppunt Zaandam was the section of motorway on which the most accidents occurred in 2020. It is one of the few places in the country where through traffic has to use an exit in order to continue its journey. Motorists from Purmerend on their way to Amsterdam that take the exit immediately find themselves on a sharp left-hand bend. At this point, there is a speed limit of 70 km/h. Anyone who fails to heed this speed limit runs the risk of ending up in the crash barrier. In 2020, this happened 43 times in total.

Hicham Benayad and Daan Exalto (lying) of Hoogwout Berging, plus road inspector Hans at Knooppunt Zaandam on 18 January 2020

Hicham Benayad and Daan Exalto (lying) of Hoogwout Berging, plus road inspector Hans at Knooppunt Zaandam on 18 January 2020

It is not the first time that this bit of tarmac has featured in the upper reaches of the most dangerous sections of motorway in the Netherlands. In 2013 there were 44 accidents here, putting it in fourth place. The road surface was re-laid in 2014, the start of a number of years of relative calm. However, since 2018 there have been increasing numbers of problems. Something similar happened once before, at another interchange with a sharp left-hand bend. On the inside lane of the A58 at Roosendaal (hectometre marker 94.0 - 94.9) 55 accidents were recorded in 2015. A distinction which meant this section of the Knooppunt de Stok interchange left all the other regular hotspots on the road network in its wake. Road works in 2016 led to a marked improvement in terms of safety in the years that followed, although the number of incidents on that section of road is creeping up: from 8 in 2017 to 23 last year.

Most dangerous 1 km sections of road in 2020

Rank 2020 Rank 2019 Road Carriageway Hectometre Accidents
1(14)A7Li4,0 - 4,943
2(5)A16Li21,0 - 21,938
3(4)A8Re1,0 - 1,934
4(77)A4Re50,0 - 50,933
5(8)A20Re30,0 - 30,933
6(23)A8Li1,0 - 1,931
7(1)A10Li30,0 - 30,927
8(2)A1Re53,0 - 53,926
9(37)A4Li75,0 - 75,925
10(89)A4Li57,0 - 57,925

One place notable from its absence in the list of sections of motorway with many accidents was the westbound carriageway of the A12 at the Gouwe aqueduct (hectometre marker 27.0 - 27.9 Left). The number of accidents here came to 19, over 60% fewer than in previous years. This improvement was probably the result of the disappearance of the congestion that used to be the norm in the evening rush hour in the lanes heading towards Rotterdam. The lanes towards The Hague are usually free of congestion at the same time, which means that filtering into the Rotterdam-bound lanes requires the sort of skill and dexterity that not all motorists possess.

Most dangerous 5km sections of road in 2020

Rank 2020 Rank 2019 Road Carriageway Hectometre Accidents
1(2)A16Li20,0 - 24,998
2(6)A20Re30,0 - 34,982
3(1)A16Li15,0 - 19,981
4(16)A4Re70,0 - 74,969
5(13)A20Li30,0 - 34,968
6(14)A10Re15,0 - 19,967
7(9)A16Re20,0 - 24,967
8(31)A4Li45,0 - 49,966
9(60)A4Re50,0 - 54,964
10(3)A10Re10,0 - 14,963

The list of sections of road of 5 kilometres in length was, as is often the case, headed by the northbound carriageway of the A16 at the Brienenoordbrug. Jan van de Graaf Jr, from Rotterdam, and Takel-, Berging- en Transportbedrijf A. Barendregt, from Rhoon, jointly had to respond to 98 call outs. That was 15% fewer than in 2019, but on other busy sections of road in the Netherlands the drop in the number of collisions was much greater. For instance, the number of accidents on the following section between Brienenoordbrug and Terbregseplein fell by more than 30%, from 119 in 2019 to 81 in the past year. On the clockwise carriageway of the A10 ring road, in Amsterdam West (hectometre marker 20.0 - 24.9 Left) the number of accidents even halved, from 112 in 2019 to 55 in 2020.

SIMN - Mauritskade 5 - 2514 HC The Hague - Tel 070 365 76 02 - Fax 070 30 600 52 -