According to four Belgian parties, traffic fines have only a limited deterrent effect on high-income motorists. They think this needs to change and want to follow an example from other European countries where this system has already been introduced.
Standard traffic violations in Belgium – just like in the Netherlands – are fined with amounts that are the same for everyone, whether you are on social assistance or are a multi-millionaire. However, some political parties in Belgium want this method of fining to change. They advocate a system that calculates fines based on the income of offenders.
One of those parties is the Walloon PS, but Les Engagés and Ecolo also want to think about this. For example, the program of the socialist party PS states: ‘Currently, offenders are offered a fine or a settlement, the value of which does not depend on their income. For some this is a lot, but for others the amounts are negligible and do not have the desired deterrent effect.
Three times higher fines from 69,549 euros per year
Anyone caught talking on the phone while driving now pays 174 euros in Belgium. According to the PS proposal, this could be three times as much for those who earn more: 522 euros. In concrete terms, people with a net income of 69,549 euros per year would qualify for this. The traffic fine would double from an income higher than 121,000 euros per year. A tripling would only apply to offenders with an annual net income of 154,000 euros.
The Belgian socialists want to achieve more social equality by following the example of other European countries such as Switzerland, Finland or Sweden, by aligning the fine amount to a certain extent with the income of offenders. In these countries, the fine due to this system can amount to several tens of thousands of euros. There is also a lot of support for this system in the Netherlands.
Finland: 121,000 euros for 30 km/h too fast
For example, 76-year-old Finnish multi-millionaire businessman Anders Wiklöf received one of the highest speeding fines in the world last year, amounting to 121,000 euros, after he was caught driving 30 km/h too fast. In Finland, police can use smartphones to instantly check how much the offender earns by connecting to a central database.
Under the Finnish system, the fine is calculated based on the offender’s daily disposable income, which is usually considered half of his daily net income. The more often a driver exceeds the limit, the higher the fine amount. Wiklöf previously received a speeding fine of €63,680 and €95,000 respectively.
Switzerland: 1.1 million euros for speeding
In 2002, Anssi Vanjoki, a top Nokia executive, was fined €116,000 in Finland after he was caught driving 75 km/h on his Harley-Davidson in a 50 km/h zone. Switzerland, which uses a similar income-related system, is said to have imposed the highest traffic fine ever. A Swedish motorcyclist was once fined 1.1 million euros when he was caught traveling at 290 km/h between Bern and Lausanne.
The proposal in Belgium is not enthusiastically received by everyone. Lydia Peeters, Flemish Minister of Mobility, is not in favor of the PS proposal to make the amount of traffic fines depend on income. “As if repeat offenders are only people who are in a better financial position. You find hard-nosed offenders everywhere and it is precisely that small minority that ruins it for drivers who behave correctly.” Like many other parties, she advocates the introduction of a points driving license, which has already been introduced in 27 European countries. “Belgium, together with Switzerland, Estonia, Slovakia and Sweden, is the only country without this system,” the minister said.
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Tags: Belgium fines possibly incomerelated happened European countries Car
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