Wallonia lags behind in alcohol checks

6 November 2007

BRUSSELS – The federal and local police in Flanders carried out 25 percent more drink-driving checks in 2006 than were conducted in Wallonia. This has emerged from new figures from Home Affairs Minister Patrick Dewael on the number of checks in the northern and southern parts of the country.

A motorist on the Flemish roads has 25 percent more chance of being stopped and checked than his counterpart in Wallonia. In December last year a total of 4,272 drink-driving checks were held. That is just less than half of the 9,564 checks for the year as a whole. Flemish police were responsible for more than 5,200 of the controls.

Their Walloon colleagues were somewhat less active and conducted about 1,000 fewer checks. Certain police districts were more active than others. The police district of Athus-Aubange carried out 399 drink-driving checks in 2006, the federal highway police of Jabbeke carried out 362.

Subject: Belgian news