The number of infractions observed in 2017 amounts to 4,771,093, which is a slightly higher figure than that of 2016 (4,759,648), indicates Monday the federal police in its annual report. With a percentage of 71.24% (3,398,975 declared), infractions for speeding take the lion’s share.
The police pay particular attention to four major causes of haulage accidents and road insecurity: speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and narcotics, not wearing a safety belt, not using an infant car seat, and, lastly, the use of GSM while driving.
Police statistics record thus a clear improvement — a decrease of 19.1% — of the number of infractions related to seat belts and non-use of child seats. 58,943 were counted in 2017, compared to 74,084 in 2016.
The decrease is also significant when we look at infractions due to the use of GSM while driving: -7.7%, from 108,699 in 2016 down to 100,323 in 2017.
However, the number of speeding infractions is up by 3.1%, since 3,398,975 infractions were observed in 2017, against 3,297,228 in 2016.
Driving under the influence of alcohol was the cause of 49,150 infractions in 2017 (51,137 in 2016), that is, a decrease of 3.89%. Infractions due to driving under the influence of narcotics were, however, more numerous in 2017 (7,050) than in 2016 (6,889), which represents an increase by 2.34%.
The Brussels Times
