A survey by the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) shows that one Walloon driver in two drinks alcohol even if he has to drive afterward. One in four respondents recently drove potentially above the legal alcohol limit of 0,5 grams per liter of blood.

To do something about the problem, the ASWR will be distributing thousands of free breathalyzers to young drivers at a dozen festivals this summer.

Misjudging

In April last year, the ASWR surveyed 1 027 Walloon motorists about their driving behavior and their relationship with alcohol. One in four respondents said they had driven in the past 30 days despite a blood alcohol level that may have been above the legal limit.

The survey also found that 49% of drivers surveyed use alcohol even if they know they will get behind the wheel again afterward. Of these, almost three in four respondents said they monitor their consumption to avoid exceeding the legal limit.

However, the ASWR reports that one in three drivers misjudges his blood alcohol level, based on a review conducted on 17 000 alcohol tests conducted in 2022.

Special campaign

That the ASWR is just now coming up with these figures is no coincidence. Many Walloon (and Flemish) youngsters are preparing for Wallonia’s numerous music festivals, such as Les Ardentes and Dour. To this end, it is also launching a special campaign, in which 22 000 single-use breathalyzer tests will be distributed at some ten music festivals in Wallonia. The campaign kicks off at the Les Ardentes festival in Liège on Thursday.

The AWSR also reminds us that special TEC buses shuttle between festivals and other mobility points to prevent drunk festivalgoers from getting behind the wheel again. It also points out that a blood alcohol level slightly above the legal limit multiplies the risk of an accident by ten.

Lower threshold

It is estimated that every year in Wallonia, an average of 55 people lose their lives in alcohol-related accidents. And last year, there were 4 224 injury accidents in Belgium involving a driver under the influence of alcohol or twelve per day. This is the highest figure since 2016. In Wallonia, on average, nearly one motorist in seven (13,3%) involved in an accident resulting in casualties test positive for alcohol – Hainaut has the highest percentage (15%).

On average, 19% of male drivers aged between 18 and 24 tested after an accident had had too much to drink. This rate rises to 22,4% among 25-34 years old. By comparison, the figures for young women are 6,5% and 8% respectively.

In June, Belgium lowered the threshold for immediate revocation of the driving license of those drunk behind the wheel. The standard was reduced from 1,5% to 1,2%.

Zero tolerance

Even though young drivers make up only 8% of all drivers, two in five fatal accidents on European roads involve a driver under the age of 30 – one of the reasons, by the way, why not everyone is happy to lower the legal age for obtaining a driving license, as, for example, France recently did.

Therefore, The European Commission wants to establish a temporary zero tolerance for drink-driving for novice drivers, as revealed in March.

It proposes a mandatory probation period of at least two years, during which they are expected to register 0,0% at an alcohol check. The European Commission is proposing zero tolerance as a part of a package of measures to increase road safety across the EU.

Although more and more (young) people think that drink-driving is out of date, politicians in Belgium do not want to know about zero tolerance in traffic for the time being. In 2020, a bill from Vooruit on the subject was still voted down.