Seat belt violations on the rise in Belgium

In the first half of 2014, police in Belgium issued an average of 308 fines a day for breaches of the EU rule on the correct use of seat belts and child restraints in the car. The figure, released by interior minister Jan Jambon at the request of MP Sabien Lahaye-Battheu, is a significant increase on previous years, despite higher fines for the infringements.

In 2013, police issued 273 fines a day on average for failure to use or for incorrect use of seat belts and child restraints. In 2012, the number was even lower, at about 236 fines a day.

The figures are noteworthy because the state raised the amount of the fines for seat belt infringements considerably on 1 March 2013, up to €100 for not wearing a seat belt and €150 for failure to use a child restraint.

Driving without a seat belt is one of the three most common causes of fatal accidents. In six out of 10 cases in Belgium, the victims of fatal accidents were not wearing a seat belt.