Three out of four motorists (73%) in Wallonia admit to exceeding the speed limit, the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) announced in a press release on Wednesday.
“In our current lifestyles, it is often a race to juggle our multiple private and professional imperatives. Time becomes a rare commodity, as a result, we live at 100 miles an hour, to try to earn money,” the Agency noted.
Over the past 50 years, over 80,000 road accidents were reported on Belgian roads, many being the result of drivers exceeding the speed limit. In Wallonia, the speed limit is set at 120 kilometres per hour for passenger vehicles on highways and roads with 2 lanes of traffic. In built-up areas, this falls to 50 km/h. In a bid to save time or beat the rush, some drivers regularly surpass this limit.
Slow down, save lives
In Wallonia, one in three accidents are the result of excessive speed, with an average of 74 people dying each year as a result. In cities, where soft road users (pedestrians, cyclists, etc.) are more frequently exposed to vehicles, just a slight drop in speed can mean the difference between life and death.
The road safety agency recalls that in accidents involving a car, pedestrians have a 98% chance of survival if they are struck by a vehicle driving at 30 km/h. At 50 km/h, this drops rapidly to 90%. At 70 km/h, it falls sharply to 60%. From 80 km/h, the chance of survival drops to nearly 0%.
Despite this, the AWSR reports that a majority of speeding incidents occur in areas where lower speeds are likely to save lives. Areas limited to 30-50 km/h record the highest level of infractions. 73% admit to going over the posted speed limit in these areas, and 68% in those for roads limited to 90-120 km/h.
Considering the deadliness of speeding vehicles, the AWSR asked respondents of its study to say what factors might encourage them to slow down. 50% of those surveyed answered that they would drive slower to avoid being involved in an accident themselves. 59% reported that they would slow down to protect their loved-ones onboard, while just 42% noted that they would be inclined to slow down to reduce the number of road fatalities.
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By far the biggest motivator, unsurprisingly, is the risk of being fined, with 60% saying that they would decrease their speed to avoid a ticket. As a reminder, in 2022, the Federal Government raked in €543 million in traffic fines, according to statistics from Finance Minister Vincent van Peteghem.
The AWSR is eager to promote what it calls “zenitude” among Walloon drivers behind the wheel. Road rage is very often responsible for excess speed and dangerous driving, both in Belgium and abroad. The Agency has launched a new campaign, both with posters and radio adverts, to encourage road users to drive calmly and to respect posted speed limits.
