Belgian fined for driving too slowly

2 September 2004

BRUSSELS – Belgian police have slapped an EUR 150 fine on a Flemish driver for driving too slowly, it was reported on Thursday.

Curd de Roose was clocked speeding along at 35 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, stopped by police and penalised, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.

“I drive my delivery lorry every day and I always slow down when I am looking for an address,” he explained.

But according to the police officers he was just driving at a slow pace ignoring the 18-car queue building up behind him.

Belgian law gives the police the right to award penalties at their own discretion.

On the motorway, the law is clear.

The minimum speed is 70 km/h, except for exceptional circumstances such as traffic jams and accidents.

For other roads the law is not so precise but the police can make use of article 10.2 of the highway code that says no driver should disrupt the normal flow of traffic by travelling at a slow pace.

If the driver does have to drive slowly then he must put on his hazard lights, which gives De Roose the instructions he needs to avoid future fines.

Subject: Belgian news