How is one Aalst family turning eleven years of grief into a fight for safer roads?
Relatives and neighbours gathered in Nieuwerkerken, Aalst, on 23 August 2026 to remember Johanna Van Damme and her three-year-old daughter Axelle Van Achter, who were killed there eleven years earlier by a driver under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Their continuing campaign offers residents a practical reminder: report an immediate road danger to police on 101, call 112 when medical help is needed, and raise persistent street-safety problems with the relevant gemeente or commune.
The memorial connects one family’s continuing grief with an everyday public-safety issue affecting pedestrians, cyclists, passengers and drivers. It also gives residents clear routes for responding: 112 for medical emergencies, 101 for urgent police help, municipal or regional mobility services for persistent hazards, and victim-support organisations after a collision.
Relatives, friends and local residents gathered at 11.55am on Sunday, 23 August, beside the memorial in in , , to remember , 31, and her three-year-old daughter , exactly eleven years after a driver killed them there. Their family again called for safer roads and stronger accountability for dangerous driving, according to Het Nieuwsblad. The immediate practical lesson extends beyond the ceremony: anyone witnessing a collision with injuries in should call 112, while an urgent threat requiring police intervention can be reported directly on 101.
Johanna and Axelle were walking to a family celebration on 23 August 2015 when a car struck them near the pavement. Reporting from Het Nieuwsblad says the driver had consumed alcohol and drugs, was travelling too fast and left the scene. Both mother and daughter died. The family has since returned to the site each year at the time of the collision, preserving two lives in local memory while pressing drivers and public authorities to prevent other families experiencing the same loss.
A memorial carrying the message “Avoid new victims, drive responsibly” was inaugurated in 2018. At this year’s gathering, mayor and federal MP Christoph D’Haese supported the family’s appeal. He said their deaths demonstrated the irreversible consequences of irresponsible conduct and argued that ’s forthcoming offence of causing death in traffic would provide a more fitting response to grave cases. His comments are a political and legal interpretation; the precise application of the new provisions will depend on the final commencement arrangements and later court judgments.
## Why the annual gathering still matters
The ceremony is not simply a replay of an old news event. It shows how roadside remembrance can become a durable form of civic participation. Johanna and Axelle’s relatives have kept attention on intoxication, speed and the human cost hidden behind traffic statistics. Their words — that society must keep fighting for greater road safety — carry added force because the campaign has continued long after the criminal proceedings and initial public attention faded.
The wider figures offer both encouragement and a warning. , citing final data, reported that 455 people died on Belgian roads in 2024, 6% fewer than in 2023 and the lowest annual total since systematic records began in the early 1970s. recorded 248 deaths. Yet remained far from the target of no more than 320 road deaths in 2030, and vulnerable road users accounted for a growing share of fatalities. A historic low is progress, not an endpoint.
Enforcement data point in the same direction. reported that authorities recorded 6.9 million traffic offences in 2024, with speeding the most common. More cameras and a greater chance of detection partly explain that total, so it cannot simply be read as evidence that behaviour worsened. It does, however, underline why bereaved families resist complacency: rules only protect people when street design, enforcement and everyday choices reinforce one another.
There is a genuine policy tension here. Families of road victims and organisations such as Ouders van Verongelukte Kinderen tend to emphasise consequences, recognition and effective sanctions for dangerous conduct. Justice officials, magistrates and defence lawyers must also preserve proportionality, distinguish negligence from more culpable behaviour and ensure that new offences are legally workable. Meanwhile, mobility specialists stress that punishment after a death cannot substitute for safer junctions, lower speeds and infrastructure that anticipates human error. These positions are not mutually exclusive, but they place different weight on prevention, deterrence and legal classification.
## What residents can do when a street feels unsafe
People do not need to wait for a serious collision before acting. For a recurring problem such as speeding, poor visibility, an unsafe crossing or pavement obstruction, note the exact street, house number or junction, direction of travel and time pattern. Photographs can help when they are taken safely and without obstructing traffic. Send the information to the mobility or public-works service of the relevant stad or gemeente in , or the service mobilité of the commune in Brussels or Wallonia. On a regional road, the municipality can identify or forward the dossier to the competent regional road authority.
Language matters in ’s divided administrative landscape. In , correspondence and municipal procedures are in Dutch; useful search terms include “melding,” “mobiliteit,” “verkeersveiligheid” and “gevaarlijke situatie.” In a French-speaking commune, ask for “mobilité,” “sécurité routière” or a “signalement.” Brussels residents should use the language channel offered by their commune and may also need Brussels Mobility when the location is on a regional road. Emergency operators can handle urgent calls, but callers should first give the municipality or commune, street, nearest number or junction, direction of travel, type of incident and number of injured people.
If a crash has already occurred, the advises calling 112 immediately when somebody is injured and not moving vehicles unless safety makes it necessary. In a damage-only collision where vehicles remain driveable, photograph the positions if it is safe, clear the carriageway and complete the European Accident Statement for the insurers. ’ official portal directs injured people, relatives and witnesses to Rondpunt’s practical guide and to slachtofferzorg.be for information about rights, care and emotional support. In Dutch-speaking Flanders, Slachtofferhulp provides victim support; equivalent services can be located through the French-language “aide aux victimes” channels in Wallonia and Brussels.
These practical steps cannot carry the emotional weight borne by Johanna and Axelle’s family. They can, however, turn concern into usable evidence, faster assistance and pressure for prevention. The next important dates are the entry into force and first application of ’s new criminal-law provisions on deaths in traffic, followed by publication of newer road-fatality data. What remains unknown is how courts will distinguish the most serious conduct in practice and whether enforcement and safer infrastructure will reduce deaths quickly enough to meet the 2030 goal. In , the family’s answer is already clear: remembrance must continue to demand action.
Impact
Regional — The campaign is rooted in Aalst and speaks directly to road design, enforcement and driver behaviour in East Flanders. It also illustrates how a Flemish municipality, federal criminal law and regional road policy overlap.
Local — The campaign is centred on Kwalestraat in Nieuwerkerken and gives Aalst residents a direct route from remembrance to action. Immediate danger requiring police intervention should be reported on 101, while 112 is for urgent medical assistance. Persistent concerns such as unsafe layouts, visibility problems or recurring traffic risks can be raised with the City of Aalst or the authority responsible for the road. The case also shows how municipal street management, Flemish mobility policy and federal enforcement can intersect locally.
What it means for you
If you witness a collision in Belgium, call 112 when urgent medical help is required and 101 when urgent police assistance is needed. Do not use those emergency numbers merely to report a persistent, non-immediate street problem; contact the relevant gemeente or commune, or the responsible regional mobility service. Record the exact location and describe the hazard clearly. People affected by a collision can also seek victim support through CAW. In Aalst, recurring local road-safety concerns can be raised with the city administration.
Opposing perspectives
- Families of road victims
Bereaved families and groups such as Ouders van Verongelukte Kinderen seek meaningful recognition of the harm caused by intoxicated or grossly dangerous driving. They often regard clearer offences, effective driving bans and credible penalties as necessary expressions of accountability and deterrence.
- Justice-system practitioners
Magistrates, prosecutors and defence lawyers must apply criminal rules proportionately and distinguish among negligence, recklessness and intentional violence. They may support stronger accountability while still demanding precise definitions, workable procedures and respect for defendants’ rights.
- Safe-system advocates
Mobility specialists emphasise that criminal punishment begins only after harm has occurred. They argue that lower operating speeds, forgiving street design, safe crossings, enforcement and alternatives to driving after drinking are indispensable because infrastructure should anticipate foreseeable human mistakes.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
The Flemish province containing Aalst.
The Belgian region responsible for regional mobility policy and where 248 road deaths were recorded in 2024.
The country where 455 road deaths were recorded in 2024 and where emergency numbers 101 and 112 apply.
A 31-year-old woman killed in the Kwalestraat collision on 23 August 2015.
Johanna Van Damme’s three-year-old daughter, killed in the same collision.
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A 31-year-old woman killed in the Kwalestraat collision on 23 August 2015.
Johanna Van Damme’s three-year-old daughter, killed in the same collision.
The Flemish province containing Aalst.
The Belgian region responsible for regional mobility policy and where 248 road deaths were recorded in 2024.
The country where 455 road deaths were recorded in 2024 and where emergency numbers 101 and 112 apply.
The Aalst district where the fatal collision and annual commemoration took place.
The East Flanders city containing Nieuwerkerken and the local authority area affected by the campaign.
The street where Johanna and Axelle were killed and where their memorial is maintained.
The fatal 23 August 2015 collision that killed Johanna Van Damme and Axelle Van Achter.
The road-safety institute whose final figures recorded Belgian and Flemish road deaths in 2024.
The public-service news outlet that reported the final Vias road-death figures.
The regional authority providing official guidance on what to do after a traffic collision.
The federal police service providing road-collision guidance and official emergency-number information.
The municipal authority relevant to persistent local street-safety concerns in Aalst.
A welfare organisation offering support relevant to people affected by road collisions and bereavement.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceHet NieuwsbladPrimaryprimary· nieuwsblad.be· 23 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 40 days ago· Dated
- View sourceVRT NWScorroborating· vrt.be· 7 May 2025Retrieved 26 August 2026· 513 days ago· Dated
- View sourceFlemish Government portalofficial· vlaanderen.beRetrieved 26 August 2026
- View sourceFederal Policeofficial· police.be· 10 February 2022Retrieved 26 August 2026· 1695 days ago· Dated
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.