Speeding is the offense most often committed by Spanish drivers. Every year, two out of every three fines imposed by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) on the roads under its jurisdiction are related to inappropriate speed, which is by far the sanction that brings the highest collection to the agency’s coffers. This situation is not unrelated to the rest of the EU countries where the act of stepping on the accelerator beyond what is allowed also represents the most frequent infraction.
Belgium is no exception, and in recent years, moreover, this type of offense has registered an upward trend. A few months ago, the Belgian courts reported a notable increase in the number of fines for speeding. According to data collected by the newspaper La Dernier Heure, speeding violations went from 4.9 million in 2021 to 6.2 million in 2022. These figures represent an increase of 27% in just one year.
Recently, the Belgian authorities revealed to the media the highest speed records recorded by the radars installed on the country’s interurban highways. The record was for a driver who was caught at 413 km/h on a highway where the limit is 120 km/h.
The event took place on a road in the Flanders region and so far the identity of the offender or the model of the car he was driving has not been disclosed. However, Belgian media suggest that it is a Bugatti Chiron, a luxury supercar that can reach 490 km/h. This car has a market value of 2.4 million euros and is reserved for the wealthiest pockets.
Although the camera that caught the vehicle registered a speed of 413 km/h, the driver was denounced for driving at a speed of 388 km/h, after having applied the 6% margin of error to determine the corresponding sanction. However, the motorist could get away with tripling the maximum speed allowed due to a legal loophole.
As reported by TF1, the radars deployed on Belgian roads are prepared to accurately record maximum speeds of 250 km/h or 300 km/h. Any figure above these digits does not have legal support according to the calibration of the devices. This is precisely the argument used by the offender to defend himself and not have to face a fine of 4,000 euros. The offense also entails the withdrawal of the card for a period ranging from 8 days to 5 years.
The incident has generated a stir in public opinion, arousing both the curiosity of citizens and their concern for road safety and compliance with traffic regulations. As authorities continue to investigate the incident, more details are expected to be revealed about the driver’s identity and possible legal consequences he will face.
The ‘feat’ of this driver has left in the background the other two highest records that last year recorded the radars on the roads of Belgium. A motorist was photographed by a cinemometer driving at a speed of 247 km/h on a highway and another car was caught driving at 169 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 50 km/h.
In certain countries of the European Union, such as Finland, Sweden and Denmark, as well as in other European states, such as Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the traffic penalties imposed by the authorities are related to the economic level of the offenders. For this reason, a wealthy driver from Finland was fined €121,000 last month for speeding.
As published by Nya Aland, the main newspaper of the Aland Islands, billionaire Andreas Wicklöf was driving at 82 km/h on a road in the direction of Mariehamm where the limit is 50 km/h. In addition to receiving the economic fine, the wealthy Finnish citizen was sanctioned with the loss of 4 points from the card.
