Bill for drunken driver in Brussels metro: €22,000

The bill for the intoxicated driver who earlier this year entered the premetro tunnel Albert and drove nearly 2km before getting his Range Rover stuck in the tracks at Brussels South, totals €22,000, writes La Dernière Heure on its website. While most of the bill will be be forwarded to the driver's insurance company, it is possible that the man himself will be responsible for the payment because he was driving drunk at the time, according to the prosecutor.

On a rainy evening in late February, the driver entered the tunnel of the premetro station. He claimed afterwards that he was “following his GPS”. Remarkably, the man drove underground for 1.8kms. When he could ride no farther, he initially refused to step out of his car when requested to do so by police, and then registered a positive breathalyzer test.

No collision occurred and no one was injured, but the incident interrupted tram traffic for hours. Also, towing the vehicle from the tracks was a difficult task. All of the factors together – damage to the infrastructure, removing the sports utility vehicle and the interruption of traffic – contribute to the total bill of €22,000.