According to a recent survey among 5,000 Belgian drivers by the Traffic Safety Institute Vias, more than one in three drivers admit they often drive too fast. Speeding is clearly no marginal behavior in Belgium, it’s mainstream, and seen as relatively socially acceptable.

One in four respondents (26%) exceed the speed limit several times a month, almost one in ten Belgians (9%) do so several times a week, and 3% even do so daily. 

More checks in Flanders

The good news is that the share has halved over the past five years: from 6% in 2020 to 3% in 2025. According to Vias, the increase in the number of speed cameras and average speed checks appears to be affecting driver behavior.

Many Belgians (45%) also say to be in favor of more average speed checks; 41% are against it. Average speed checks occur much more frequently in Flanders than in Wallonia.

Around 1 in 7 drivers exceeds the 120 km/h limit on highways. On rural roads, only about 40-47% actually respect speed limits. That means a majority of drivers are speeding at any given time on certain road types.

On a less positive note, speed limits outside built-up areas are the least respected. Outside built-up areas, 41 percent of drivers regularly exceed the speed limit.

Differences

One in four Belgians (24%) received at least one speeding fine in the past twelve months. In Brussels, that proportion is higher (31%) than in Flanders (25%) and Wallonia (22%).

There are more differences between the country’s regions. Flanders has more enforcement, but speeding is still very common. Wallonia has a lower enforcement density, higher speeds on average, especially on rural roads, and more frequent large speed deviations. Brussels has lower actual speeds, but not necessarily better compliance.

Speed ​​remains a major cause of traffic accidents: one in three fatal accidents in Belgium is due to excessive speed. A 10 km/h reduction in speed can reduce fatal accidents by approximately 50%. Reducing speed, even below the permitted maximum speed, can lower fuel consumption (by 5-10%), costs, and CO₂ emissions.

Europe

In Belgium, 15% intend to exceed limits by +20 km/h in cities; the EU average is 11%. Belgians appear to be more willing than average Europeans to speed intentionally. Compared to other EU countries, Belgium sits worse than safer countries (e.g. Greece), and better than the worst performers.

What stands out isn’t just the percentage — it’s the normalization of speeding. Speeding is widespread across all driver groups, not just ‘reckless drivers’. Many drivers know it’s risky, but still do it anyway.

The key differences in the Netherlands is that roads are designed as ‘self-explaining’ roads: speed is limited to 30 km/h in streets that feel narrow and slow, and to 50 km/h where roads feel like 50.

Sweden, however, has a zero vision policy: no deaths are acceptable. Speeding is seen as endangering others, not just breaking rules.

24th edition of the speed camera marathon

Another speed camera marathon will be held on Wednesday, the 24th edition. Two-thirds of all Belgian police zones, together with the Federal Highway Police, will carry out speed checks at 658 locations.

The speed camera marathon serves two purposes: to encourage drivers to respect speed limits by changing their behavior, and to raise awareness of the impact of speed on road safety.

During the previous edition in November, more than 1.3 million vehicles were checked over a 24-hour period, of which approximately 4% were speeding.