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Do you have questions or doubts, or would you like to discuss with someone whether restorative mediation is right for you?
Were you involved in a traffic accident?
You were involved in a traffic accident, as a victim, as the person who caused it, as a witness, or as a relative of someone who passed away in the accident. It can be a minor accident with minor injuries, or a severe accident with severe injuries or a fatal outcome. A traffic accident can have a big impact on the people who were involved.
People are often left with questions about how and why the accident happened, and what consequences it had.
You could be left with these questions, for example:
- How could the accident have happened?
- Why were they driving like that?
- What are the consequences for the other person?
- Would it help if I apologized?
- How can I feel less scared?
- Do they understand how the accident impacted me?
Restorative mediation can help
In restorative mediation, you get in contact with the other person(s) that were involved in the event. This contact is guided by one of our professional mediators. You can choose for yourself what you would like to ask or say to the other person. For example:
- How the accident could have happened
- What the consequences were for you
- How the other person experienced it
It can help to talk about what happened, to say how you feel about it, and get answers from the other person. This can help you feel more calm, less angry, less scared, or less guilty. It can help to process the event and come to terms with it. The contact can help you come to terms with what happened and move on from it.
You don't necessarily have to have a face-to-face conversation with the other person, if you don't want to.
You can also write each other a letter, or send messages through the mediator. You can also record an audio or video message for the other person. You decide what kind of contact you want. Visit this page for more information about how it works.
Good to know:
- Restorative mediation is voluntary.
- The contact is confidential.
- The mediator is neutral and prioritizes the wants and needs of both parties.
- All participants can start, pause, or quit the mediation at any point.
- It does not cost any money.
- You can bring someone to the meeting to support you.
- If you do not speak (good) Dutch or English, we can arrange an interpreter for you who will translate. This does not cost money for you.
Apply
You can apply for restorative mediation on this page.
If you apply, this doesn't mean we will immediately contact the other person, or that you commit to getting in contact with them. We will first discuss with you why you want restorative mediation, and what is important to you. Only once you give permission, the mediator will contact the other person.
Experiences of others
Manon was 17 years old when she became a victim in a serious traffic accident and lost her foot. Three years after the accident, she met the truck driver who had caused the accident under the guidance of a mediator. “I immediately thought: this man never had bad intentions.”
It’s a dark and rainy morning when Sharon (then 16 years old) is hit by a van on her scooter. The accident and the period after are one big black hole. Over a year later, she feels ready to talk with the causer of the accident through Perspectief.
The girl that suddenly crossed the road on her bike looked Henk straight in the eyes at the last moment. Then his truck hit her. “That fearful look in her eyes. It haunted me for a long time. That’s why I started searching.”
Two weeks after his 15-year-old daughter was hit by a truck, Francel wanted to get in contact with the driver. “I heard he was on sick leave. I proposed to meet with him, we would both feel better after that.”
On Christmas Eve of 2020, Eva (25) hit a cyclist with her car. The woman on the bike wasn’t paying attention; it wasn’t Eva’s fault. The woman died. The victim’s sister wanted to talk to Eva afterwards, to let her know she was not to blame.
Marco is a truck driver. He causes a serious accident, is which a person dies. After the accident, Marco's life is turned upside down. On the recommendation of his employer, he talks to one of the victims with the guidance of a mediator from Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling.
Mick Smits Hattink lost her husband Jan Smits in a bicycle accident. She told Volkskrant Magazine how she met the guy that hit her husband a year after the accident. “He only cried. I told him I do not blame him.”
Rens (28) was happy that Monique wanted to talk to him eight years after the accident in which she lost her two children. And even though it was the hardest thing he’s ever done, he’s very grateful that the conversation took place. “I wanted to do something good for Monique and Ludo so badly.”
Three teenagers from the same village get into a traffic accident after a night out. The driver survives, but his passengers, a brother and sister, do not. What now? Mother Monique: “Thanks to the mediator we can look back at an open and honest conversation.”
