Hit while cycling in Belgium: what should you actually do after a collision like the one in Herentals?
A woman cycling in Herentals was lightly injured in a collision, one of a steady drumbeat of low-speed crashes on Flemish roads. Here is what riders in Belgium should know about the moments after impact — from calling 112 and filing the aanrijdingsformulier to the strong compensation rights that Belgian law gives vulnerable road users.
Cycling is a mainstream mode of transport in Flanders, so the aftermath of a low-speed collision is a live practical question for a very large group of residents, including expats who may not know Belgian procedure or their rights. Knowing to call 112, insist on documentation, file the aanrijdingsformulier and — above all — understand that vulnerable road users are compensated largely regardless of fault can materially change the outcome of an otherwise ordinary crash.
The trigger is a minor road incident reported by Het Nieuwsblad in Herentals (Kempen, Antwerp province, Flanders), in which a woman cycling was lightly injured in a collision with a vehicle; a near-identical report followed from Westerlo. Beyond the specific facts — which are sparse — the piece explains the standard Belgian process and legal protections that apply after any cyclist is hit: the 112 emergency number, the aanrijdingsformulier / European accident statement, the police proces-verbaal, and the 'zwakke weggebruiker' (vulnerable road user) compensation regime under Article 29bis of Belgium's 1989 compulsory motor-insurance law. Named entities include Herentals, Westerlo, Het Nieuwsblad, and Vias institute (the national road-safety research centre).
Background
Belgium introduced automatic compensation for vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and passengers) through Article 29bis, inserted into the compulsory motor-insurance law of 21 November 1989 and reinforced in subsequent reforms, shifting bodily-injury claims onto the motor insurer irrespective of fault. Over the past decade Flanders has paired that legal protection with heavy infrastructure spending — separated cycle paths, the regional bike-highway (fietssnelweg) network and lower urban speed limits — in response to persistently high cyclist casualty figures tracked by Vias institute.
Impact
Regional — Herentals and Westerlo sit in the Kempen, a part of Antwerp province where cycling for commuting, school and leisure is routine and where junction and driveway collisions are the everyday risk. Local police forces and municipalities use casualty data from incidents like these to justify redesigned crossings, 30 km/h zones and continued investment in separated cycle paths and the fietssnelwegen network.
Opposing perspectives
- Cycling advocates (Fietsersbond)
Groups such as the Fietsersbond argue that repeated 'lightly injured' reports mask a structural problem: junctions and driveways designed around cars still expose riders, and legal compensation after the fact is no substitute for infrastructure that prevents collisions in the first place. They press for more separated paths, safer crossings and lower urban speeds.
- Motoring and road-user representatives
Motorist representatives and some local authorities counter that responsibility is shared, pointing to cyclists riding without lights, ignoring signals or using phones, and caution that no-fault compensation for vulnerable users should not be read as a presumption that drivers are always to blame. They favour better mutual awareness and enforcement over redesigning every junction.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceHet Nieuwsblad — Fietsster raakt lichtgewond bij aanrijding in HerentalsPrimary· nieuwsblad.beRetrieved 14 July 2026
- View sourceHet Nieuwsblad — Fietsster raakt lichtgewond bij aanrijding (Westerlo)· nieuwsblad.beRetrieved 14 July 2026
- View sourceVias institute — Belgian road safety research centre· vias.beRetrieved 14 July 2026
- View sourceFPS Economy / Belgian compulsory motor-insurance framework (WAM, Art. 29bis)· economie.fgov.beRetrieved 14 July 2026
