Flanders commemorates fatal accident that led to start of alcohol testing

On 25 April 1966, in Walfergem, a small village to the east of Brussels, a drunk driver drove into a group of school children, killing ten of them. The tragic event led to a change of mind about traffic safety, and two years later, Belgium introduced alcohol tests.

Sixty years ago, the accident sent a shock wave through Belgium. Ten thousand people attended the funeral, and the then royal couple visited the surviving victims. Today, commemorations of the event start, with an exposition in the local church and a memorial mass next weekend.

The driver in Walfergem received a 21-year prison sentence. But more had to be done. Two years later, parliament approved a new law that introduced alcohol checks and blood testing. Today, rules are stricter than ever, and hundreds of thousands of drivers are tested every year.

_{#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO MAXIME ASSELBERGHS}