Belgium's Federal Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) is considering banning an app that rewards users for driving at high speeds, amid concerns that it encourages dangerous driving and illegal street racing.
The TripRank app has become popular among street-racing enthusiasts, according to a report by Het Laatste Nieuws on Friday.
While its terms of use explicitly prohibit reckless driving and street racing, the app's ranking system rewards users for driving faster. The higher the speed, the more points they can collect and the higher they climb in a worldwide ranking.
A driver recorded travelling at 250 km/h, for example, can receive a "very good score" on their profile.
Crucke is now examining whether the app could be banned in Belgium and is discussing the issue with other parties, including the Justice authorities.
"We are aware of the existence of such an application and are analysing the situation with the relevant partners, including Justice," Crucke told Het Laatste Nieuws.
"Promoting inappropriate behaviour or excessive speed goes against efforts to make our roads safer."
Federal police and road safety institute Vias have also warned about the app, arguing that it encourages particularly dangerous driving.
TripRank has been downloaded around 250,000 times worldwide. It is not known how many people use the app in Belgium.
