An operation dubbed "Lightfoot" will take a zero-tolerance approach to speeding on roads in the Walloon Brabant province (just south of Brussels) the province's public prosecutor has announced.
The move comes on the initiative of the provincial governor, the police and the Walloon Brabant public prosecutor’s office, which criticised the leniency that has allowed drivers before to escape penalties if they were only slightly above the speed limit: “Allowing some room for compassion towards the driver is counter-productive," Prosecutor Marc Rézette warned.
Police zones have adjusted their fixed and mobile radars to be able to observe any excessive speeding. Motorists caught exceeding the speed limit by 1 to 30 km/hr are required to pay an immediate penalty of €80 to €400.
Exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 kilometres per hour results in a direct summons to appear before the police court.
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- 'Visible and constant' decrease of average speed in Brussels
- Record number of drivers caught speeding in Belgium last year
By tightening up policing, Belgium has brought in an additional €40 million through fines in 2022 when compared to previous years.
Though drivers often find it unjust that they should be fined for a marginal infraction, experts highlight that many car manufacturers calibrate speedometers to show a reduced "real speed". They urge drivers to abide by the limits, citing numerous studies that highlight the potentially lethal repercussions of speeding.
