Throughout 2019, over 5,000 people were caught driving while inebriated, drugged or while using their mobile phones, according to recently released police figures.
A total of 2,120 offenders were caught driving while under the influence of either drugs or alcohol, with a majority among them (1,920) intoxicated by alcohol.
One police check revealed one person driving with eight times the allowed blood alcohol content limits, Bruzz reports.
Around 200 drivers were caught behind the wheel under the influence of drugs, with 130 among them seeing their licences immediately revoked.
In the case of inebriated drivers caught red-handed, police revoked the licence of 520 of them for a period of 15 days.
During checks carried out in October and June of last year, a whopping 2,997 drivers were caught using their mobile phones while driving.
The figures also showed that thousands still disregarded passenger safety regulations, with police reporting 1,489 infringements on seatbelt wear or inappropriate child seats.
The figures also outlined a number of other traffic offences, including by 1,233 motorcyclists who were not wearing the appropriate safety equipment or 23,781 vehicles who rode on or parked in cycling lanes, as well as 8,877 who did not respect pedestrian crossings.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times