The number of road traffic deaths in the Netherlands last year dropped to below 700 for the first time in decades.

The Dutch public television station NOS estimates that the final figure is likely to be around 675. According to the police, which registers some 90 percent of all traffic fatalities, 605 people died in accidents in 2009. The other victims, who die days or weeks after the accident, are not included in the police statistics. The official figure will be announced in April by Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings.
 

The annual number of traffic casualties has been falling since 1970, when 3,500 people were killed in road accidents. Last year, the government set a maximum 500 traffic deaths as a target for 2020.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide