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Rules of the road
Recent initiatives on road safety in Belgium have achieved positive results, with the number of people killed and injured on the road falling by some 10 percent in the last three years. This is due to new and stricter rules focusing on improved driver behaviour, greater police surveillance and higher traffic fines.
Safety matters
New laws have been introduced aiming to reduce the country’s high accident rate by 50 percent. They include more speed checks, breathalyser tests and blood testing for suspected drug users, tougher penalties and fines, and many more circumstances in which your licence can be withdrawn.
Drivers now have an obligation to do all in their power – ie slow down or stop – to protect so-called weaker road users such as children, old people, the disabled, pedestrians and cyclists. New road signs limiting speed to 30km/h are making their appearance in many urban and built-up areas.
Old habits die hard
For most first-time drivers in Belgium, the greatest novelty, and the most likely cause of accident, is the ‘priority to the right’ rule. You may be driving down a main road and a car simply zips on to it from a blind corner on the right – and, surprisingly enough, they have priority.
But it doesn’t apply to every junction. The easiest way to spot whether you have priority over traffic from the right is to look for white triangles painted on the incoming road, or a yellow and white diamond sign to your right as you approach a junction. Once you’ve got used to it, the system does actually work and, according to the authorities, achieves the rule’s initial aim of slowing traffic down.
Belgians are often lazy in using indicators, so don’t be surprised if someone pulls out in front of you on the motorway with no warning. You will also find that drivers enjoy occupying the middle lane on motorways. No matter how tempted, do not overtake on the inside – it’s illegal, even if a lot of people do it. Seatbelts front and rear are obligatory and children under 12 must travel in the back. On motorways, the speed limits are a minimum 70km/h and maximum 120km/h.
Buses have priority provided they have signalled, and trams always have priority, so pay particular attention – 12 tonnes of metal doesn’t stop easily. Drivers here have yet to acquire the habit – and legal requirement – of stopping for pedestrians at zebra crossings. You may like to set a good example.
Accidents do happen
One only has to look at the number of bumps and scratches on Belgian cars to realise that accidents happen all too often. The main thing is to keep calm and courteous. If it’s a slight prang, then it may not be worth getting the insurance company involved, so you can try and settle amicably. If it’s more serious, first get witnesses’ contact details, then fill in the mandatory constat d’accident form, which should be in your glove compartment at all times. You may also want to see the other driver’s green insurance form (which also must be in the car at all times) and they may want to see yours. Make sure you mention any injuries, to yourself or passengers, on the accident statement. The insurance companies will decide whose fault it is, so make sure you simply state the facts and don’t end up writing an admission of guilt. Do not add anything once the form is signed by both parties as this could constitute fraud.
Learning to drive
If only for the sake of not having to take a test under Belgian driving conditions, avoid learning to drive in Belgium. On the other hand, if you do learn in Brussels – and pass – you can safely feel qualified to drive almost anywhere. To get your licence you need to take a practical and a theory test, after following a course of mandatory lessons. You cannot just take the test without the lessons.
Buying a new or second-hand car
EU legislation has put paid to the days when Belgium was the cheapest place in Europe to pick up a new car, although it still offers a good market for second-hand cars, especially luxury models. Your best guide is the Moniteur de l’Automobile and its Dutch equivalent Auto Gids, or www.automagazine.be.
These magazines have comprehensive price guides as well a useful indication of what road tax you should expect to pay. Be warned that the official trade-in prices of second-hand cars are often lower than the price you can actually get. Check the small ads in the two publications for more accurate pricing.
If you buy a new car in Belgium, it’s worth shopping around as prices vary from one garage to the next. Particularly good value deals can be had at the Brussels motor show traditionally held in January. The paperwork is fairly straightforward and your dealer will give you a registration form to fill out. Get it insured with an insurance company, and you’ll be sent a pink registration certificate in the post, followed by your rear plate, also in the post. Take this to a key-cutting shop to get a copy made. Note that number plates stay with you, not with the car and must be returned to the registration authority when you leave the country.
There is also an initial taxe de mise en circulation when you put a new car on the road. This varies from one hundred euro for the smallest car to several thousand euro for meatier sports cars. If you buy second-hand, the tax drops by 10 percent per year based on the first registration of the car.
To buy a second-hand car, get a copy of the magazine Autoccasion, containing individual and dealer ads to see what’s available. Second-hand cars are also listed on our website, www.xpats.com. Individual sellers and garages must provide you with a certificate of roadworthiness or contrôle technique that is less than two months old, and, to avoid fraud, a certificate giving a record of the number of kilometres driven.
Importing a car
If you want to import your car to Belgium, the shipper will inform you of the formalities. Alternatively, you can drive your car here and begin proceedings once you’re registered with your commune. No import tax is due on cars more than six months old. You must have a certificat de conformité européen for the car, which must pass the contrôle technique and then be insured with a Belgian insurer. Customs will stamp your insurance at the border and give you a ‘705’ sticker. Once you have all the documents, send them to the vehicle registration department and you’ll get your Belgian registration plate within a few days.
Alternatively, you can buy a new car from another EU country and import it, although you’ll only save money on certain models. Denmark and Finland and the new EU member states, particularly Estonia, have been identified by the European Commission as the cheaper countries to buy cars. Procedures are as above for old cars, plus you must pay 21 percent VAT.
European Consumers’ Centre: tel 02/542.33.46
You can also delay payment of VAT on a car bought in Belgium for a pre-determined period by getting transit plates from the DIV. You may apply to have the period extended, but the authorities may say no. Either way, you’ll have to pay VAT when you take the car out of the country and into another. The red tape and bureaucracy may simply not be worth all the bother.
Renting or leasing
If you’re only going to be in Belgium for a few months, then you should think about renting or leasing a car. You can rent a small car – and thus not have to deal with any paperwork – for as little as €15 a day, or you can negotiate a long-term deal with the rental firm. A leased car is cheaper in the longer term, and there are particular tax advantages for the self-employed and for companies that give them to their employees. Ring around the bigger leasing companies or speak to your firm’s accounts department about possibilities.
For information on the highway code, importing a car and learning to drive in Belgium, see the Belgian Ministry’s website
