Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet prefers driving internships over fines for errant motorists, he said on RTL on Sunday.
Gilkinet also confirmed that the government aims to increase checks on the road network due to Belgium’s excessively high annual road fatality rate, which, at 55 deaths per million inhabitants, is above the European average of 51 per million.
On Tuesday, Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne announced that the federal government would establish a driver’s license with a points system during the current legislature. This was included in a policy orientation note presented by the Minister to the Justice Commission.
“We’ll ensure stricter enforcement of the rules, the probability of catching defaulters will increase and we will implement new technologies,” he said, adding that the government would work on “a structural approach to persistent repeat offenders, including for offences usually treated with on-the-spot fines.”
“The law on points-based drivers’ licenses is the foundation for this,” he added. Gilkinet is scheduled to present his note on 24 November.
On Sunday, he came out in favour of increased road checks. Without calling the points-based system into question, he said he believed more in driving courses than in repeated fines for “people with unsuitable behaviour.”
Queried on whether a road toll system should be set up in Brussels, Gilkinet was in favour of Brussels coming up with a proposal, “and time should be taken to analyse it," he said. "I wish to see if it is possible and balanced.'
The Brussels Times
