Traffic offenses: the end of impunity in Europe
Monday, May 14, 2012, 17:30 p.m.
As of July, Belgian motorists who break traffic laws in France will receive the fine at home. An agreement that will extend to the entire European Union from 2013
From 1 July 2012, Belgian motorists who commit a traffic violation in France will receive the fine at home. An agreement which should extend to the European scale from 2013.
France / Belgium agreement for better communication
A Belgian who commits a traffic violation in France will now receive the fine at home in Belgium and vice versa. By accepting this agreement, the two countries have committed to exchange data such as the name and address of a citizen who has broken 8 specific rules.
The offenses pointed out are, in particular, speeding, telephoning while driving, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, burning a red light or even non-compliance with the wearing of a seatbelt or helmet.
The Belgian Institute for Road Safety (IBSR) will soon carry out an information campaign aimed at alerting the general public to this new measure. In addition, each country will have to designate an organization responsible for transmitting to the other the personal data of each person whose license plate has been flashed on its roads.
3 countries exempted by the European Directive in 2013
When a motorist violates the traffic laws of another European country, the prosecutor's office of the country of origin must be informed. In practice, however, we find that while Germany, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands are good students in terms of administration, this system is not effective in several other countries of the European Union. “Some countries lend themselves to gambling, while others fail to communicate the offense. It's really case by case! This is why it is essential that there is a law which generalizes this process ”affirms Benoit Godart, the spokesperson of the IBSR.
This will be done soon ! From November 2013, a European Directive will regulate this situation.
Special feature, however: among the 28 member countries of the Union, three will be exempt. Thus, this directive will not apply to Great Britain, Ireland and Denmark. Note that Croatia, which will officially enter the European Union in 2013, should also transpose this directive into its national legislation.
Jennifer Fileccia (St.)
Source and maps: http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/belgique ... 915658.php
