About 100 local and federal police officers have been taking part this weekend in a vast road safety operation in Luxembourg Province, organised as part of the nationwide “Weekend without alcohol at the wheel” campaign, Belga news agency reported on Saturday.
The operation also marks the launch of a protocol linking the province’s six local police zones, the governor, the state prosecutor and the federal police.
“The aim is to join our efforts to fight against unsafe driving in the province of Luxembourg,” Division Commissioner Christophe Brück, Federal Police Coordinating Director for Luxembourg District, explained. “While the number of accidents in the province of Luxembourg is not higher than elsewhere in the country, accidents are twice as serious here as the national average.”
In addition to major risk factors such as driving under the influence, excessive speed, failure to wear seatbelts and using smartphones at the wheel, topographical and meteorological elements more specific to the province also help to account for this trend.
These include “weather that makes roads more slippery, a secondary road network on valley slopes that is less forgiving of errors, and also the fact that people have to travel longer distances,” the division commissioner added.
On Saturday, police also conducted checks close to the Recogne Bridge (Libramont), and drivers found not wearing seatbelts were invited to board a rolling vehicle.
“We need to work on people’s behaviour using awareness-building and control actions,” Christophe Brück noted.
The operation will continue for the rest of the weekend throughout the province.
