A total of 53,483 drivers exceeded speed limits during the 22nd 'Speed Marathon' on 9 April, the Federal Police revealed on Thursday. The figures show a slight increase compared to the previous operation.
On 9 April, the police monitored the speed of 1,340,000 drivers over 24 hours, a record number. Speed checks were conducted at 673 locations using both fixed and mobile radars. Fixed radars caught 1.69% of offenders, while mobile devices detected 8.12%.
The Federal Police noted that speeding remains a common practice in Belgium. Out of the checked drivers, 3.99% were speeding. This is slightly higher compared to the last operation in November, where 3.04% of drivers exceeded speed limits.
Some drivers significantly surpassed the limit, including a motorist just outside Brussels who was caught driving at 151 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. Brussels-North police recorded a speed of 93 km/h in a 30 km/h zone, and Federal Police clocked a driver at 185 km/h on a Limburg motorway. All three offenders lost their licences and must appear in court.
An April report from the road safety institute Vias, indicated that two in three Belgians claimed to adhere more strictly to speed limits after receiving a speeding fine. In Belgium, one in three fatal accidents is attributed to excessive speed.
