Police ‘marathon’ against speeding drivers underway
Police across the nation are staging extra checks today to see if drivers are sticking to the speed limit. The speed check marathon lasts for 24 hours until 6AM on Thursday. Each year 4 million drivers are caught speeding in Belgium.
Police are carrying out checks on motorways but also on minor roads. In all some 500 officers are deployed at 650 spots across Belgium. The police say they are targeting places where people feel unsafe as a result of speeding drivers. Local police services can pick busy or dangerous spots like schools at which to focus their attention.
This is the 16th outing of the speed check marathon. Excessive speed remains one of the main causes of accidents. Last time round 1.4 million vehicles were checked: 2.8% of drivers were speeding. 38,000 charge sheets were issued. Drivers speeding over 30km over the speed limit risk losing their licence for a while.
Koen Ricour of federal traffic police says such operations are needed because some drivers are still not convinced maximum speeds are meaningful. One fatal accident in three is linked to excessive speed.
With 4 million speeding drivers caught a year the average driver gets a speed ticket every two years. Traffic institute Vias notes that in 2021 the number of major traffic infractions rose 10% in only a year. Each day 108 drivers were caught speeding 40km/h over the limit. 20,000 fines were issued – the highest number since 2015.
