A breakdown on a motorway in Wallonia

At a glance

What procedure should you follow if you break down on a motorway in Wallonia or a road treated as a motorway?

The rapid intervention procedure on motorways in Wallonia

If you break down on a motorway in Wallonia or a road treated as a motorway, the authorities use the SIABIS+ platform to organise breakdown operations.
This procedure joins the one already in place in Flanders for many years (FAST).
The authorities' aim is to guarantee better organisation as well as greater safety and speed of intervention when a vehicle is stranded on the motorway, and to restore normal traffic conditions as quickly as possible.

The SIABIS+ platform is an IT tool that makes it possible to contact the assistance company of the vehicle in distress in order to assign the breakdown job to an approved breakdown company close to the location of the intervention.
If the vehicle doesn't have assistance cover, the SIABIS+ platform organises a rota among assistance companies to send a SIABIS+-approved breakdown operator.

What to do if you break down on a motorway in Wallonia?

Is your vehicle stranded on a traffic lane or on the emergency lane of a motorway in Wallonia (or a road treated as a motorway)?

In the event of a breakdown, you must put your vehicle, the other passengers and yourself in a safe place. Switch on your hazard lights and park your vehicle (if possible) on the emergency lane. Make sure that you and your companions wear a fluorescent jacket when leaving the vehicle, and stand behind the safety barrier. Indicate the presence of your vehicle (warning triangle).
Contact 112. Give them your location, your registration number and mention that you're a Redion member. They will arrange for an approved breakdown operator to be sent to you.
Get in touch with your assistance company. They will be able to open a file (which is also necessary for any potential reimbursement) and will arrange for the dispatch of a Siabis+-approved breakdown operator (these are always available for Redion customers stranded on the Walloon network). If the police are on the scene, they will contact your assistance provider via the SIABIS+ platform, which will take care of organising the breakdown assistance.
If you're not a member of an assistance company, you'll need to contact 112, who will select an assistance provider via the SIABIS+ platform and arrange for an approved breakdown operator to be sent to you.

Note: in the event of a breakdown on a regular road (i.e. a road that is not a motorway), you need to call 101, not 112.

Reimbursement of the breakdown assistance by your assistance provider

The rates for services provided by SIABIS+ breakdown operators have been set by the authorities. Additional costs may be charged if the police request the dispatch of a signalling vehicle.

If you have assistance cover, billing will be settled directly between the SIABIS+-approved breakdown operator and your assistance provider according to the terms of your assistance contract's general terms and conditions. These may cover either just towing on the motorway, or towing plus signalling costs. If you don't have assistance cover, you'll be responsible for settling the invoice directly with the breakdown operator.

Tip:
For any potential reimbursement by your assistance provider, check the General Terms and Conditions of your assistance contract and see whether financial cover is provided. This may cover only towing on the motorway, or towing plus signalling costs.

For information: Some Redion contracts, including the "older" annual contracts with a breakdown/towing assistance option, provide for reimbursement of towing up to a maximum of €250 (a ceiling that's normally sufficient for a standard breakdown), but exclude signalling costs.
Other contracts, such as the annual "Light", "Smart", "Sport" and "VIP" contracts, provide, under their "Mobility Assistance" option, for reimbursement of signalling costs as well as reimbursement of towing up to a maximum of €250.