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Added alcohol checks this weekend on Belgian roads

21:17 11/01/2019

Federal and local police across Belgium are gearing up for an Anti-Drink Driving Weekend, with extra checks along motorways, provincial roads and motorway exits from 18.00 on Friday to 6.00 on Monday.

The same campaign last June saw 32,000 drivers being stopped. About 2% of them, or 640 people, were cited or arrested for driving under the influence.

The police hope that announcing the campaign in advance will make people think twice before getting behind the wheel after they’ve had a drink. It could be working: In the summer of 2017, the action caught out some 2.8% of drivers, more than the summer of 2018.

Belgium’s legal blood alcohol limit is 0.05%, which allows most people to drink one or two beers with a light to moderate alcohol content. In 2017, more than 4,200 accidents in Belgium leading to death or injuries involved alcohol levels above the legal limit. That’s more than one in 10 of all accidents.

Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA

Written by Flanders Today