Drivers with radar detectors get more speeding fines than those without

Drivers with a warning system that alerts them to mobile police speed checks receive 50 per cent more fines per kilometre driven than those without, according to a study by the Belgian traffic institute Vias. For this reason, and because warnings from speed cameras can be a distraction, Vias recommends a ban on radars, as is the case in the Netherlands and Germany.

More than one in three drivers in Belgium (37 per cent) use one or more systems that indicate where police speed checks are taking place. At the request of the government, Vias worked for two years on a survey on the safety of these systems.

Of drivers with speed cameras, 29 per cent were fined last year, compared with 18 per cent of those without. As people who use radar detectors tend to drive more, this equates to 50 per cent more fines per kilometre.

"Drivers with such a system are more likely to drive too fast because they think they are not at risk of a fine if their system does not report a speed check"

"This result may seem paradoxical, but it makes perfect sense," says Vias. "Drivers with such a system are more likely to drive too fast because they think they are not at risk of a fine if their system does not report a speed check."

In addition, the systems also report alcohol checks, so drivers are often behind the wheel while over the legal alcohol limit.

12 proposals

In 2022, there were 540 road deaths in Belgium. If the government wants to get below 320 by 2030 as planned, measures will have to be taken, says Vias. A ban on radar detectors is one of 12 proposals put forward by the institute in a memorandum at the end of last year.

Figures released last year showed that the number of fines for drivers speeding by between 1 and 10 km/h had doubled in the last five years. Experts pointed to stricter policies and enforcement - such as lower margins of tolerance in speed measurements - as an explanation for the increased number of fines.

^{© BELGA PHOTO MICHEL KRAKOWSKI}

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