 |
Generally Belgian roads are of a high standard. Many of the basic rules of the road in Belgium are very similar to those across the rest of Europe. Confusion in reading signs may be caused as there are two official languages in Belgium. In Flanders, all the road signs are in Dutch, while in the southern part, nearer to France, they are all in French. |
Antwerpen (Dutch) is Anvers (French); Brugge is Bruges; Bruxelles is Brussel; Gent is Gand; Luik is Liège; Leuven is Louvain; Namen is Namur; Bergen is Mons; and Doornik is Tournai. The words "Passage Difficile" and "Moeilijke Doorgang" indicate a difficult section. The word station in Dutch/Flemish indicates a train station; while the word in French is gare. International motorways are signified by green signs with white characters preceded by the letter E; national highways are noted by blue signs with white letters preceded by the letter A. As part of a new naming convention, lesser highways may have two road numbers both the old and the new preceded by an N.
Trams (cable cars) have priority
 |
Beware of trams (cable cars) - they have priority and so do their passengers, alighting or boarding. Trams move quickly and quietly, so pay attention in mixed traffic and be careful not to turn into the parallel tram lane at main junctions. Headlights must be on between dusk and dawn and during inclement weather. Motorcycles must be operated with headlights on night and day. |
The horn should only be used outside built-up areas.
Fuel stations
Most fuel stations are closed from 8pm. to 8am, and all day Sunday, but stations along expressways are open 24 hours, seven days a week. Major credit cards are accepted at stations in large towns and along the expressways. Leaded super fuel has an octane rating of 98 or 99. Unleaded fuel is known as normale sans plomb, essence sans plomb, ongelood, unverbleit, or loodvrije benzine. Unleaded regular has an octane rating of 92; the octane rating of super is 95.Parking
In Belgium parking restrictions are made fairly obvious to drivers. Most parking is on a fee-basis and parking meters can be found on the majority of streets. Most cities operate the so-called Blue-Zone parking system, which means drivers must display a cardboard display clock set to their time of arrival. The blue clock is available from petrol stations, newsagents and police stations. All parking fines can be paid at the Town Hall (Maison Communale/Stadhuis) or at the Post Office (cheques are not accepted at the Post Office).Fines on the spot
 |
Police are empowered to impose and collect fines on the spot. Fines range from € 20 to € 150. You must place a security deposit if you refuse to pay. Police may request that you take a blood alcohol test; although you can by law refuse, you might as a result be arrested. |
Speed traps, cameras and unmarked police vehicles are used throughout the country to catch speeding motorists. Belgium has a high accident rate, mainly due to speeding. Traffic control authorities (autorités de contrôle du traffic/verkeersinspectie) are strict, issuing heavy speeding fines on the spot. Visitors to Belgium will have to pay on the spot. Vehicles may be impounded if you are unable to pay.
No central fine catalog
Special for Belgium is the fact that they do not keep a central fine catalog. This makes it difficult to predict the actual fine, and may in some circumstances lead to a far stricter penalty if you have to go to court.Four degrees of infractions
In short, there are four degrees of infractions:- 1st degree (fine = € 50): impeding or dicourteous behaviour, forget one's seat belt or winker/blinker, drive on the bus lane, ride a bicycle without a light at night.
- 2nd degree (fine = € 100): pass an amber light, use a mobile phone while driving (except if using a hands free kit), drive without anti-fog lights when there is fog, park in a zone for the handicapped, stop in a dangerous place.
- 3rd degree (fine = € 150): pass a red light, overtaking over a white line, overtake near a pedestrian crossing, endanger a pedestrian or cyclist.
- 4th degree (fine = to settle in court): U-turn on a motorway/expressway, racing with other cars, incite to excessive speed, pass a level crossing.
The data above is based on information by public sources. No rights can be derived from this publication.
This page on fines for speeding offences in Belgium is about Belgian traffic penalties, speeding, offences, built-up area, motorways, foreign enforcement, drivers license, over limit, forint.