Gilkinet wants hefty fines for promoting street racing on social media

Anyone bragging about street racing or driving excessively fast on social media or TikTok should be severely fined. At least, that’s Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet’s opinion. Gilkinet (Ecolo) proposes penalties of up to 1 000 euros and/or one year without a driver’s license.

Excessive speed has always been considered one of the major killers in traffic. That is why Minister Gilkinet wants to take stricter action against those who promote or even glorify speeding and dangerous driving on social networks. He proposes tough penalties of up to 1 000 euros and the withdrawal of one’s driver’s license for one month to one year.

‘Public road is not a Formula 1 circuit’

“The public road is not a Formula 1 circuit. Street racing and bragging about it on social media is unacceptable,” says the green minister. He wants to clearly define these types of violations. To determine the punishment, he must ensure that the images distributed via social media were posted at the initiative of the perpetrator. The criterion of endangering other road users may be a predominant element.

Gilkinet does not specify the speed because, after all, speed cannot be determined on the basis of the images. However, it should be clear that the speed is clearly far above the permitted limits. Encouraging this kind of behavior must have taken place on a public highway and, as such, be prohibited.

Phenomenon

The phenomenon is not new or unique in Belgium. In many US cities, street racing is dominating social media and turning deadly. A recent new law in Florida (US) turns social media into evidence against street racers and takeovers. Hitting participants online seems a promising way to reduce the appeal of such activities.