One-third of traffic fines goes to improving safety

One-third of the revenue from traffic fines in Belgium goes toward improving road safety, while the rest disappears into the state treasury, according to figures that politician Sabien Lahaye-Battheu requested from State Secretary for Mobility Melchior Wathelet.

Only €1 out of every €3 collected for traffic fines finds its way to the Federal Road Safety Fund, which supports projects to improve road safety. In 2012, €370 million were collected in traffic fines. In 2013, 38 percent of that, or €140 million, flowed back into the Road Safety Fund.

"The link between a traffic fine and its purpose is too small," says Lahaye-Battheu. "Those who get fined should know what that money is used for."