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One in five Belgians admits to drinking and driving
About 18% of Belgian drivers admit to getting behind the wheel drunk at least once in the past month, according to a comparative study of 17 European countries. Belgium ranks at the bottom of the list, according to the study, which shows that only the French drive drunk more often.
The European Survey of Road users' safety Attitudes (ESRA), a joint initiative involving the Belgian Road Safety Institute (BRSI), examined the driving habits of motorists in 17 European countries and came up with several striking conclusions about road safety discrepancies across the region. It shows, for example, that only 17% of Belgian drivers were subjected to a breathalyser test in the past year. In Finland, by comparison, 37% of drivers were given a breathalyser test in the past year, and as many as 47% in Poland.
"But the risk of being caught is not the only thing that matters," says Stef Willems of BRSI in De Morgen. "In Belgium it's more a problem of mentality.” The survey also reveals that one in three Belgians thinks it's okay for their friends to drive after a few drinks.
Comments
I'm amazed the figure is so low and can only think that it's a cross section of Belgian society, not just café goers. Anybody who frequents cafes here know that it's entirely normal for people to drive home as drunk as a skunk. Reminds me of the UK when I was ten years old and my Uncles did it all the time. The fact that some actually got home at all on a Friday night was a great source of hilarity. That's Belgium today.
I think Sunday afternoons are risky in Belgium. There are many Sunday lunch drinkers, especially older people with reduced reflexes driving drunk on Sunday afternoons.
It is a problem of mentality and the only way to change that is hefty punishment.