The third national survey on road safety conducted by the IBSR (Belgian Institute for Road Safety) and published on Monday, shows that the average Belgian’s feelings about his or her safety on the roads has remained stable over the years. On a scale of 0 (“feel very safe”) to 10 (“feel very unsafe”), the 2,100 road user that were polled scored 5 in 2012, 4.7 in 2013 and 4.2 in 2014, although it must be noted that the margin of error was larger in 2014. Unsurprisingly, those feeling the least safe are occasional users, motorcyclists, cyclists and moped riders. The IBSR noted that although moped riders generally feel less safe than other users, their score has been steadily creeping down the scale over the past two years, from a 6 in 2012 to less than 4.5 in 2014. The users who feel the most “comfortable” are pedestrians, slightly ahead of motorists and car passengers.
They are unanimous when it comes to the main sources of danger on the roads - speeding, problematic infrastructure, dangerous driving behaviour and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Which factors are the most worrisome, however, depends on the age of the respondant: speeding worries young people (16-35 years old) less than the other age groups, yet, the “BOB generation” worries more than the elders about people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Among the changes suggested by the population to improve the safety of all road users “The idea of a points-bssed driving licence is slowly gaining support” said IBSR spokesman Benoit Godard. One of the most popular measures is also an increase in the number of spot checks for drink-driving.
According to Transport Minister Jacqueline Galant, a total of 40 million roadside checks (for alcohol or speeding) will be carried out between now and 2019, the end of the current parliamentary term.
(Source: Belga)
