Belgians collect almost half a million more traffic violations

Federal Public Service (FPS) Justice’s figures show that almost half a million more traffic violations were recorded last year than in 2023. The number of violations recorded increased from 6.5 million in 2023 to more than 6.9 million last year (+7%). In 2022, the number was still 6.2 million. The total amount of fines collected represents 576.8 million euros.

Historically, there have always been more traffic checks in the country’s north. Flanders also has the most violations. However, although Flanders still has the most violations registered (63% of the total), the number fell slightly last year. 

Several explanations

Brussels and especially Wallonia are responsible for the increase. In the Walloon Region, violations rose by at least 44%; in Brussels, the increase was 31%.

“There are several explanations for this,” Edward Landtsheere of the Federal Public Service Justice explains. For instance, Brussels has recently installed many more speed cameras, and the previous tolerance margins have also been reduced. In Flanders, minor violations are more often punished with an administrative fine. 

Speeding number one violation

Speeding—the cause of one in three traffic deaths—remains the number one traffic violation. Excessive speed was involved in 93 percent of registered violations.

The chance of being caught has increased significantly in recent years, thanks to earlier investments, such as more speed checks, mobile cameras, and close cooperation with police services. The police automatically handle most traffic violations (about 93%) with an immediate collection.

Company cars

Approximately one-third of traffic violations are committed with a company car, of which there are approximately 626,000 on the road in Belgium.

Companies that receive a traffic ticket must inform the court who was behind the wheel at the time of the violation. Otherwise, they risk a €510 fine. In 2022, this only happened in 5% of cases; since then, that percentage has increased to around 75%.

Recidivists

“Driver identification is a key piece of the puzzle to prevent reoffending,” insists Landtsheere. “It’s the only way for the justice system to combat repeat offenders.”

“There are still far too many deaths and victims on our roads, so we must be more ambitious when it comes to road safety,” says Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), Minister of Justice. […] “Anyone who behaves dangerously on our roads must face the consequences.”

“With this stricter road safety policy, we are fully committed to achieving our ‘Vision Zero’ goal of reducing the number of deaths on European roads to zero by 2050.”