During the first six months of last year, 5,028,562 traffic violations were recorded by the federal police in Belgium. This is an absolute record, as it is more than 436,000 more than in the same period two years ago. Compared to 2017, this is even double the number.
Almost 4.2 million of the traffic violations recorded were for speeding. In almost 20,000 cases, a driver was caught driving more than 40 km/h over the speed limit. Violations of the rules on stopping and parking, the use of a cell phone, and ignoring traffic lights or prohibition signs are also high on the list.
In three-quarters of cases, 0-10 km/h driving too fast
Strikingly, 3.2 million cases involved speeding by 0-10 km/h, a figure that critics undoubtedly see as a way for the government to fill the coffers rather than improve safety, as the increasing number of speed cameras and average speed checks can mainly explain the upward trend. Most of these speeding violations also took place on regional roads (1,588,786), followed by highways (1,495,134) and municipal roads (824,807).
However, driving just 10 km/h faster does have an impact. After all, the braking distance increases quadratically with speed, although the justification for a fine for this often depends on the location.
For example, if you were to drive at 40 km/h instead of 30 km/h in a school zone, you would need at least 6 meters more to stop (braking distance plus reaction distance), which is crucial in an emergency. In a collision at 30 km/h, approximately 95% of pedestrians survive, whereas at 40 km/h, the risk of serious or fatal injury is almost twice that at 30 km/h.
Antwerp leads the way
The province of Antwerp takes the crown for location, with more than 1,000,000 violations. The figures are also high in Flemish Brabant (786,524 violations), East Flanders (704,986), and Hainaut (473,438). Luxembourg (106,178), Walloon Brabant (194,637), Liège (209,883), and Limburg (266,401) score the best.
Fourth-degree violations, the most serious category, occurred 1,382 times. Most of these involved crossing a level crossing that was already closed or where the red flashing lights or audible warning signal had already been activated.
In the first six months of 2025, 23,780 drivers were also caught committing alcohol-related offenses. Three-quarters of these cases involved male drivers. The 31-40 age group scored the highest, followed by the 41-50 and 21-30 age groups. The number of drug-related offenses stands at 6,990.
It is important to note that the number of traffic offenses is not necessarily the same as the number of traffic fines. These figures will be communicated by the FPS Justice later this year. Traditionally, however, these numbers are close together.
