The number of people in Flanders that don't get their cars inspected on time increased dramatically last year, as has the period by which they are too late.
Last year, 442,549 cars drove around in Fladers with an expired inspection certificates, an increase by half compared to previous years, according to reports from De Standaard. The number of drivers who register more than half a year late for the car inspection is also rising sharply.
In 2021, more than 2 million periodic car inspections were registered in Flanders. More than one in five cars inspected were too late, meaning their cars had expired certificates. In 2020 and 2019, this figure still sat at 14 and 15%, figures from sector federation GOCA Flanders showed.
"We are going to try to encourage people to come to the inspection in time," spokesperson Sofie Vanhout said. "We have already brought forward the sending of the invitation card by a week. The next step is to add a digital reminder to the invitation."
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In most cases, people have simply forgotten about their inspection, a mistake that is quickly put right. More worrying are the cars whose inspection has expired for more than six months.
More than 35,000 drivers exceeded this deadline last year, whereas in previous years the figure had fluctuated between 20,000 and 23,000.
Latecomers are fined between €8.80 and €31.40, depending on how late they are. Last year, the carelessness of drivers brought in a hefty €5.3 million. Those who get caught in traffic accidents have to fork out for a much heftier fine.
