Belgian mobility minister wants to pave the way for self-driving Teslas

July 07, 2025

Will we soon have self-driving Teslas in Belgium? The American carmaker has already applied to the European Commission in March for approval of autonomous driving (Full Self Driving), and more specifically, supervised hands-off driving. According to the Vers L’Avenir newspaper, Federal Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés), unlike his predecessor, is already in favor. […]

Flanders cancels 72 of 80 planned section controls

July 04, 2025

Flemish Minister of Mobility, Annick De Ridder (N-VA), is cancelling 72 planned section controls on regional roads. De Ridder only wants section controls at ‘black spots’, where serious accidents occur, which reduces the list to about ten of those speed checks. The decision has sparked outrage among experts. The number of section controls in Flanders has increased significantly […]

First Belgian driving simulators for trucks and emergency services

July 03, 2025

Belgian drivers active in the transport sector and emergency services can now prepare themselves for complex traffic situations in a state-of-the-art driving simulator. As it happens, the Flemish employment service VDAB has invested in four advanced truck simulators, which are housed at the Provincial Institute for Education and Training (PIVO) in Asse. The simulators are […]

ADAC: no extra danger for EVs in underwater accidents

July 01, 2025

As climate shifts bring more extreme weather and high-water risks, new tests by the ADAC in Germany expose an often-overlooked danger: what happens when a car plunges into water? Are electric car drivers at a higher risk than those in a combustion-engined vehicle? In the experiment, the German organization submerged two cars: a conventional Seat […]

VIAS: ‘Van drivers distracted 8% of their time on the road’

July 01, 2025

A new observational study by the Vias traffic institute has revealed that Belgian van drivers are most often distracted by their mobile phones or other devices. On average, they are not entirely focused on traffic for 8% of the time, it turns out. The Vias researchers observed almost 20,000 drivers for a month at 161 locations […]

First Brussels pedestrian zone celebrates 10 years

June 30, 2025

The pedestrian zone in the center of Brussels, between Place Fontainas and Boulevard Adolphe Max, has been in place for ten years since Sunday. The zone has since become one of the busiest in the capital, but it has also been criticized for being too focused on tourists and events, rather than on residents. Additionally, […]

BMW has to recall 70,000 EVs in the U.S.

June 30, 2025

BMW has to recall more than 70,000 electric vehicles in the U.S. due to a software issue with the electric motor. It could lead to a sudden loss of propulsion while driving, increasing the risk of an accident. The i4, i5, i7, and iX model series are affected. As is customary in the United States, […]

Flemish Waterway to use speed meters for bike-riders on towpaths

June 27, 2025

The Flemish Waterway is planning to install speed meters on towpaths. The measure is part of a ‘fun’ awareness campaign to encourage users to respect traffic and courtesy rules on the paths. Towpaths are increasingly used by walkers, joggers, cyclists, skaters, and service vehicles, all of which move at different speeds. Courtesy is, therefore, essential […]

Takata airbag crisis expands in France: 800,000 additional vehicles immobilized

June 25, 2025

The French government has ordered the immediate immobilization of 800,000 additional vehicles because of the presence of possibly lethal Takata airbags. All car brands are involved in the massive and urgent recall that is now needed. Last week, French car manufacturer Citroën initiated a ‘stop drive’ for all its C3 and DS3 models produced between […]

Tesla’s robotaxi service debut in Austin sparks safety concerns

June 24, 2025

After years of bold promises and missed deadlines, Tesla has finally launched a pilot fleet of autonomous taxis in the Texas capital. But the debut has already sparked safety concerns and renewed scepticism about the company’s readiness to deliver truly self-driving vehicles. Eyebrows are already raising as this next phase in Tesla’s coming of age […]

Young Belgians increasingly postpone obtaining driver’s licence

June 23, 2025

The number of driver’s licences (type B) obtained in Flanders has been declining slightly every year since 2014. Last year, 66,415 Flemish people obtained their B driver’s licence; in 2014, this figure was still 76,730. This trend is also evident in Brussels: 10,505 driving licences last year, compared to 11,957 in 2014. In Wallonia, we see an […]

Ford stops Mustang Mach-E sales as it can trap passengers with locked doors

June 20, 2025

Ford has issued a global stop-sale on its electric Mustang Mach-E as it grapples with a potentially serious safety issue that may prevent the doors from unlocking, putting occupants at risk of being trapped. The recall affects nearly 317,000 vehicles spanning model years 2021 to 2025, raising fresh concerns among customers and dealers about delivery […]

Citroën calls for immediate ‘stop drive’ of 441,000 C3 and DS3 cars (update)

June 19, 2025

The infamous Takata airbag scandal, which began in 2014, has resurfaced in the automotive world. Due to a deadly incident last week in France, Citroën is immobilizing all its C3 and DS3 models in the whole of Europe. 441,000 vehicles are concerned. Last week, a 37-year-old woman died on a French motorway near Reims in […]

T&E on road safety: ‘car hoods becoming 0.5 cm higher every year’

June 13, 2025

Drivers of high-fronted cars are unable to see children as old as nine, tests find. The hood height of new vehicles in Europe is increasing by half a centimeter a year, on average, driven by the growth in SUV sales, new research assembled by Transport & Environment (T&E) finds. The trend is part of the […]

UHasselt experiments with digital test garden to improve mobility

June 12, 2025

Hasselt University (UHasselt) and its project partners, Cegeka, OCW, Vlawebo, and Embuild Limburg, are investigating how innovative technologies can ensure better roads, safer traffic, and more sustainable mobility. They experiment with digital solutions in real-life situations, in an innovative test garden. The pilot project will use various locations in Limburg as test areas. Digital innovations “The […]

Renault’s ‘Vision4rescue’ is aid for emergency services

June 11, 2025

Renault and Software République are unveiling ‘vision 4rescue’, a demo car featuring a high-tech ecosystem that enables the emergency services to work more efficiently in critical situations. Featuring nearly 20 interconnected solutions, the ecosystem was designed to standardize the different technologies used by the emergency services for a faster and better-coordinated response. Based on the […]

E-scooter safety: Antwerp emergency doctors want mandatory helmet

June 10, 2025

The Antwerp hospital umbrella ‘Hospitaal aan de Stroom’ (ZAS) receives an emergency patient every eight hours due to an accident involving an e-scooter. In half of the cases, this led to an inability to work. Emergency doctors as well as the clinic and the Flemish Foundation for Traffic Studies (VSV) are asking the government to […]

Volvo’s AI-powered seatbelt knows who you are

June 06, 2025

Volvo’s name remains virtually interchangeable with automotive safety, and once again, the company attempts to push the boundaries of protection for road users. Its latest innovation? An artificial intelligence-powered seatbelt that promises to adapt to every driver and passenger. It can evolve through software updates (OTA) long after the car is sold. The new “multi-adaptive […]

Average speed checks in Limburg reduce accidents by 38%

June 05, 2025

On Limburg municipal roads where average speed checks were introduced, the number of traffic accidents fell by an average of 38% compared to the number of accidents on comparable roads without section controls. This emerges from an analysis by UHasselt researchers reported by the newspaper Het Belang van Limburg, among others. According to the researchers, […]

Wallonia to analyze bicycle traffic with sensors

June 04, 2025

As in Flanders and Brussels, Wallonia now also has a network of counting points to monitor the number of cyclists. On the website cyclable.wallonie.be, the 159 counting points for both cyclists and pedestrians can be consulted. With this initiative, the region aims to refine its cycling policy, says Walloon Mobility Minister François Desquesnes (Les Engagés). […]

Brussels tries ‘Kiss & Cycle’ to tame the school run

June 03, 2025

Brussels Mobility is launching a pilot project in Forest to test a dedicated “Kiss & Cycle” zone for parents dropping their children off at school using cargo bikes, long tails, trailer bikes, or other exceptionally large bicycles. The special strip aims to reduce the chaos often seen on sidewalks and streets during school drop-off times, […]

50 years ago, seat belts became mandatory in Belgium

May 30, 2025

On June 1, 1975, the Belgian government made wearing a seat belt in the front of a car mandatory. A safety measure that significantly reduced the risk of death during car crashes, but the public needed some convincing. And even today, an alarmingly large number of road deaths come from people not wearing their seat […]

Many Belgians don’t know the rules for e-scooters

May 21, 2025

Three years after the introduction of stricter rules for e-scooters, many Belgians still do not know the most important rules. This emerges from a new representative survey by the traffic institute Vias. For example, 44% of those surveyed do not know that you must be at least 16 years old to drive an e-scooter. The […]

Autonomous car specialist Waymo recalls more than 1,200 vehicles in the U.S.

May 16, 2025

Waymo has recalled 1,212 self-driving vehicles in the U.S. following minor collisions with fixed roadside objects such as gates and chains. That is the majority of the company’s fleet. Strangely, the issue seems to have already been fixed. The recall is apparently due to software limitations that caused minor collisions with roadside objects such as […]

Official invitation for car inspection comes via eBox

May 13, 2025

Since last week, Belgian car owners have been able to receive their official invitation for the obligatory car inspection in their eBox, an official and secure electronic mailbox used by the government. Until now, invitations to present your car (older than four years) for official inspection in one of the agreed inspection centers were mainly […]

Flanders: Five accidents with injuries during roadworks every week

May 09, 2025

According to the latest accident figures, 266 severe accidents with injuries occur annually in Flanders during road works on regional roads and highways–an average of five accidents at a construction site every week. Six of them are fatal. Most accidents happen in traffic jams before the construction sites or when driving past them. The ‘Rij […]

2024 breaks traffic and accident records in Flanders

April 29, 2025

The Flemish highway network experienced its most congested year on record in 2024. Traffic jams, accident rates, and incident response demands reached unprecedented levels, according to the annual report by the Vlaams Verkeerscentrum (Flemish Traffic Center). As the body marks its 25th anniversary, it faces the challenge of managing a traffic system increasingly pushed beyond […]

More commuter accidents due to increasing use of soft mobility

April 25, 2025

The number of accidents to and from work is increasing as more and more people travel to work by (electric) bike or on foot. That’s according to figures from insurer Ethias, based on an analysis of more than 7,500 recent claim files. Such accidents also impact the workplace, as 41% of absenteeism is due to […]

Belgians collect almost half a million more traffic violations

April 22, 2025

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 […]

CBS: ‘246 Dutch cyclists killed in traffic in 2024’

April 17, 2025

According to the Central Bureau for Statistics (Centraal Bureeau voor de Statistiek, CBS), in the Netherlands, 675 people died in a traffic accident last year, among them 246 cyclists. Almost half of them (44%) rode an electric bicycle, and most (60%) died from head injuries. Cyclists form the largest group of road fatalities. It mainly […]

Hackers turn crosswalks into mockery of Trump, Musk, and Zuckerberg

April 17, 2025

In Northern California, hackers have manipulated pedestrian lights’ audio to mock Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg. Instead of the usual ‘walk’ or ‘wait’ audio instructions that emanate from the crosswalk speakers, pedestrians hear seemingly deepfake recordings, mocking some of the titans who preside over the tech world. A series of viral videos posted […]

China drastically tightens screws on autonomous driving

April 17, 2025

China, a long time forerunner in autonomous driving features tested on public roads, is tightening the screws on that technology after an accident that shocked the nation. A dramatic accident in which three young female students were killed in a Xiaomi SU7 sedan that caught fire in March, apparently, was the last straw. Carmakers are […]

Soon mandatory bicycle helmet for all in Belgium?

April 04, 2025

Rehabilitation physicians at UZ Ghent want a bicycle helmet to become mandatory in Belgium. After all, less than a third of Belgians (29%) wear a bicycle helmet, but out of the nearly four in ten victims of injury accidents involving bicycles and speed pedelecs who ended up in a Belgian hospital in 2023 had a […]

Infrabel slides 750-ton tunnel under railroad in Wezemaal

March 31, 2025

This weekend, the Belgian railroad manager Infrabel slid a 750-ton railroad tunnel under the tracks at the station of Wezemaal, near Rotselaar in Flemish Brabant. The concrete element, 18 meters long, 14 meters wide, and almost 4 meters high, was placed under the tracks via a special metal chute. The tunnel should provide a better […]

Oosterweel: left bank entrance to new Scheldt tunnel is ready

March 28, 2025

The entrance to the new Antwerp Scheldt tunnel on the left bank is ready. It is a colossus of 85,000 m³ of concrete and 19,000 tons of steel. After more than three years of preparation and intensive construction work, the essential parts of the Scheldt Tunnel are ready. Everything is prepared now to place the […]

EU agrees on digital driver’s license

March 26, 2025

By the end of 2030, a uniform digital mobile driver’s license will be recognized in all Member States. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU Member States agreed on this during the night from Monday to Tuesday. Why a digital driver’s license? There are currently more than a hundred types of driver’s licenses in […]

Influencer films himself at 250 km/h in Brussels tunnels

March 26, 2025

The Brussels prosecutor’s office is prosecuting an influencer with more than 40,000 followers who filmed himself several times while driving at very high speeds through the capital. The man reached speeds as high as 250 km/hour in the Brussels tunnels. The public prosecutor has summoned the man to the police court, where he must answer […]

Belgium exempts heavy electric vans from tachograph obligation

March 25, 2025

As previously announced in 2023, the Belgian federal government has created an exemption for using a tachograph in electric vans of up to 4.25 tons. Professional drivers of these heavier vans will not have to adhere to mandatory rest times, but there are some conditions. In an attempt to boost the electrification of light commercial […]

Hugo Bollen, inventor of Belgian cycle node network gets honorary doctorate

March 25, 2025

On May 27th, Hasselt University will award an honorary doctorate to Hugo Bollen, the inventor of the walking and cycling node network. Hugo Bollen, a former engineer at the Kempen Coal Mines (Kempische Steenkoolmijnen), came up with the now widespread cycling and walking junction network years ago. The doctorate is a recognition of his essential […]

Project Stapscore wins Flemish Road Safety Award 2025

March 19, 2025

  “Working on better sidewalks with Stapscore,” a project to improve the quality of sidewalks in Flanders, has won the Flemish Road Safety Award 2025. The winner was announced on Tuesday at the annual road safety conference organized by the Flemish Foundation for Road Safety (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde, VSV). The award is presented to projects […]

De Lijn: record 23 accidents per day involving buses and streetcars

March 18, 2025

De Lijn’s buses and streetcars were involved in a combined 23 accidents per day last year, a record average. Overall, in 2024, buses were involved in 7,207 accidents, and streetcars in 1,191. So, the numbers are on the rise, as are the number of victims. The figures also show that De Lijn is often not […]

Vias: ‘Number of accidents involving electric scooters up again’

March 18, 2025

According to Vias Institute’s latest road safety barometer, based on police data, the number of accidents with injuries in Belgium fell slightly in 2024 (-3 %). However, the number of accidents involving electric scooters rose by nine percent, while there was a decline between 2022 and 2023. Last year, the police recorded 1,745 accidents involving […]

Motorist collects more than 60 speeding tickets with fake license plates

March 17, 2025

Local police teams from the Belgian Borinage region in Henegouwen have caught a motorist who was repeatedly flashed with fake license plates. By analyzing the plates, the police were able to trace the real license plate. They discovered three different license plates at the driver’s home, two of which were fake. It later turned out that […]

Brussels MIVB/STIB adapts 440 bus stops for the disabled

March 11, 2025

The Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB has already made more than 440 bus and streetcar stops wheelchair accessible. Many metro stations have also been adapted for persons with reduced mobility. In 2025, about half of the 2,223 above-ground pre-metro stations and bus stops have been made more accessible to persons with reduced mobility, subject to […]

Major construction works at 43 locations on Flemish highways in 2025

March 11, 2025

In 2025, Flanders plans construction works at 43 locations on the highway. Just like last year, much attention will again be paid to renovating bridges, viaducts, and tunnels. Twenty of the 43 construction sites are essential for renewing or replacing bridges or tunnels.  The sites with the most significant impact on traffic are in Antwerp, […]

Vias: ‘Eight out of ten traffic fatalities are men’

February 25, 2025

Eighty percent of road deaths in Belgium are men, and injury accidents involving men are, on average, twice as severe as accidents involving women. This is mainly because men take more risks in traffic. These are some conclusions from a new statistical analysis by traffic safety institute Vias. Eighty percent of road deaths in Belgium […]

Zeeland Bridge to close eight weeks to undergo major maintenance

February 20, 2025

The Zeeland Bridge will close for eight weeks next year. The part of the bridge that opens to ships, the so-called ‘bascule bridge,’ will be renovated, and the road surface will be renewed simultaneously. The Zeeland Bridge is an impressive structure that spans more than five kilometers. It was officially inaugurated in December 1965 and […]

Bolt and Dott tackle wild parking of e-scooters and e-bikes in Brussels

February 19, 2025

Bolt and Dott, the only two operators selected by Brussels Mobility for shared bike and e-scooter services in the Brussels Capital Region, are joining forces to improve vehicle parking in the capital and reduce nuisance. The joint initiative, to be implemented five days a week in the most sensitive or affected areas, should ensure more […]

Citroën’s airbag nightmare continues: 236,900 recalls in north of France

February 18, 2025

Yesterday, Citroën asked 236,900 owners of a C3 or DS3 in the north of France to stop using their car until the airbags are replaced. The Takata-made airbags can cause serious injuries by exploding uncontrolled and dangerously. Other manufacturers, such as VW, Nissan, BMW, Toyota, and several others, have already recalled millions of vehicles equipped […]

Mobility minister asks mayors to issue bus ban in case of aggression

February 18, 2025

Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) is asking the mayors to act against aggression on De Lijn buses, with a bus ban as the big stick. This measure already exists, but in a letter to the mayors, the Minister brings this possibility more widely to their attention. In 2023, De Lijn received 2,039 […]

Renault to share its patented battery-fire extinguishing tech for free

February 18, 2025

French carmaker Renault has decided to make its ‘Fireman Access’ patents, developed with professional rescue services to extinguish an EV’s battery on fire in a few minutes, freely available to the entire automotive industry. A process that otherwise can take hours by immersion of the whole vehicle in a container with water. Renault says car […]

Rollout of cruise control on trains in Belgium almost complete

February 14, 2025

Fifteen years after the train disaster in the Flemish-Brabant village of Buizingen, the rollout of the rail safety system ETCS, a train cruise control, is almost complete. The rollout was accelerated after the disaster, which killed 19 people. As of the end of this year, no trains not equipped with this cruise control will be […]

Number of accidents at Belgian railway crossings in decline

February 11, 2025

Five people were killed, and nine were seriously injured: that is a painful record of accidents last year at level crossings in Belgium. In total, there were 30 accidents, one less than in 2023. According to rail infrastructure manager Infrabel, the balance is clearly in decline. During the 2008-2021 period, for example, there were an […]

Belgian Bob campaign: lowest number of positive alcohol tests ever

February 11, 2025

During the last Bob campaign—between November 29th, 2024, and February 3rd, 2025—only 1.22% of drivers took a positive breath test, the lowest figure in the past thirty years. Last year, it was 1.57%; ten years ago, it was still 2.8%. During the nine weeks, more than 600,000 people (605,759) were checked—200,000 more than in 2024. […]

Survey: Dutch want zero tolerance and alcolock in traffic

February 10, 2025

Most Dutch citizens want stricter penalties for driving under the influence. According to an Ipsos I&O survey commissioned by the Victim Support Fund (Fonds Slachtofferhulp), among almost 2,200 people aged 16 and older, three-quarters of Dutch people want a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol in traffic.  In addition, 84 percent want the alcolock to return for repeat […]

Almost 80% of Walloon drivers cannot resist smartphone addiction

February 07, 2025

In Wallonia, nearly 8 in 10 drivers (77%) admit that they cannot resist the temptation to use their phones while driving. This is according to a survey by the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) published on Thursday, World Mobile Phone Free Day. In Wallonia, an average of 16 accidents with deaths or injuries are caused […]

Britons say no to doubling e-bike motor power

February 07, 2025

The British government has called off plans to allow doubling the motor power of e-bikes from 250 watts to a maximum of 500 watts. The main reason for not implementing the measure is because of safety concerns. The decision keeps the U.K. in line with EU countries where the exact same support limit of 25 […]

De Wever I: ‘losing your driver license without counting points’

February 05, 2025

To improve safety on Belgian roads, the new De Wever I government plans to introduce a driver’s license system with points–without describing it in those words. Anyone who accumulates violations in the future will no longer slip through the net but will automatically be summoned to the police court. For example, the coalition agreement states that […]

Stellantis patents ‘EV exhaust system’ to prevent thermal runaway

February 05, 2025

It sounds like a ‘contradictio in terminis,’ an exhaust system for fully electric vehicles that are supposed to have no emissions at all. Still, Stellantis Group, parent company to Peugeot, Jeep, and Fiat, among others, has filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a system that would evacuate dangerous […]

Paris reserves lane on ‘périphérique’ for car pooling and public transport

February 04, 2025

From March 3rd, a lane on the Paris ‘périphérique’ will be reserved for carpool cars, security services, and public transport. Only cars with at least two occupants, public transport vehicles (buses and taxis), emergency services, and persons with reduced mobility are allowed to drive in the left lane of the Paris Ring Road. The rule […]