The likelihood of being checked for drinking and driving varies significantly between municipalities in Belgium.
Figures from the federal police, requested by MP Oskar Seuntjens of Vooruit, show that drivers in Hasselt are five times more likely to undergo breathalyser tests than those in Antwerp.
Large parts of Wallonia see far fewer checks, according to a report in Flemish media, Het Laatste Nieuws.
Last year, over 2.1 million alcohol tests were conducted by federal and local police combined, but the intensity of checks differed substantially.
Drivers in municipalities like De Haan (West Flanders) or Hechtel-Eksel (Limburg) are ten times more likely to be tested than those in Wortegem-Petegem (East Flanders) or Schilde (Antwerp).
In De Haan and Hechtel-Eksel, more than 800 tests per 1,000 residents were conducted, compared to only 80 per 1,000 in Wortegem-Petegem and Schilde. In approximately 175 of Belgium’s 565 municipalities, that average drops even further.
Wallonia exhibits notably lower enforcement rates. For example, only 20 alcohol tests per 1,000 residents were carried out in Liège, a rate that is 11 times smaller than in Hasselt.
Despite this, the proportion of positive tests is higher in Wallonia at 2%, compared to 0.8% in Flanders.
According to Stef Willems from traffic safety institute Vias, this suggests that Wallonia needs at least as many checks as Flanders.
