2024-01-08 11:40:00
January 8, 2024
Since the end of 2023, the Belgian police have been empowered to look for signs of drug use in drivers involved in road accidents and, if so, perform a saliva test on the driver (by passing a cotton swab on the inside of the cheek).
If the result of this test is positive, the police can prohibit driving from that moment while ordering a more exhaustive test that will be sent to the laboratory and which will be used to impose the sanction on the driver.
Until November 2023, drug tests were only mandatory in Belgium in traffic accidents that caused injuries to those involved. But now these will also be carried out in accidents in which only material damage occurs.
According to data from the Belgian Ministry of Mobility, one of the three main causes of fatal accidents on its roads, along with distractions and excessive speed, is driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Belgian government surveys show that 5% of its drivers admit to driving under the influence of drugs. Among young drivers, this proportion is estimated to be as high as one in seven (approximately 14%). A behavior that can increase the risk of suffering a traffic accident by 30%.
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