Angry because you got a fine for driving 2 km/h too fast? Then remember that legally there are still technical tolerance margins of 6 percent or 6 kilometers per hour, depending on the measured speed. You may have been driving 8 km/h above the speed limit when you received the fine.
The road safety institute Vias would like to see this differently. “It is logical that you will not get a fine if you do not drive too fast, so a limited margin can be defended, but in our country it is really outdated. Speed cameras have become much more accurate in recent decades, perhaps accurate to within 1 km/h,” says spokesperson Stef Willems.
Accurate to 0.26 km/h
“Section checks in particular are extremely accurate. That makes sense, because you can measure the time between two physical points very accurately.” Willems says that in the Netherlands the technical margin in the Netherlands is 3 percent or 3 km/h. “And they use the same equipment as us. And no one complains about margins there. We are therefore not asking for the rules to be made stricter, but for the rules that have existed for a long time to be correctly applied.”
Willems emphasizes that he is not advocating “more flashes”, or that “this would fill the state treasury”. “We often receive these arguments in our mailbox. But the point is that through enforcement more people adhere to the speed limit. A lower tolerance will certainly reduce the average speed. Especially in built-up areas, driving a little slower can immediately make a big difference in terms of impact.”
Vias made the recommendation earlier, and is now repeating it at the start of the twentieth federal flash marathon. The institute itself conducted a survey among 2,000 Belgians. It showed that seven out of ten respondents did not receive any fines last year. One in eight offenders received at least three fines. Two in three people who received a fine for excessive speed said they adhered to the limit more strictly afterwards.
Political support
At least a number of parties appear to be in favor of the measure. Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) is “absolutely in favor of the disappearance of that correction”. “It is good for road safety and coherence,” he says. Although the proposal will no longer be realized one and a half months before the elections this government period.
“The speed limits are there for a reason,” Vooruit faction leader Joris Vandenbroucke also supports the idea. “Not to issue as many fines as possible, but for the safety of everyone.”
Member of Parliament Marianne Verhaert (Open VLD) questions Vias’ proposal and points to our fine system. “Many route checks have been added in recent years. We must especially focus on those who are stubborn and exhibit dangerous and inappropriate driving behavior.”
Wouter Raskin of opposition party N-VA is less enthusiastic. “I am not against it in principle, excessive speed is a killer. But it would be the wrong signal if we made collecting fines even easier today without first discussing a reform of the fine system to tackle recidivism more efficiently and harder.”
The technical margin is separate from an operational margin, which in the past was often used to limit the workload for law enforcement and public prosecutors. In the meantime, investments have been made in additional processing capacity, so that the operating margin could be eliminated, and so that speed cameras would also be active continuously.
