At a glance
Do you use a mobile phone while driving? Watch out for the consequences!
Using your phone while driving: does it bother you?
Some results from surveys conducted by the Vias Institute and the Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde on the use of mobile phones while driving are telling:
When asked "Does it annoy you when the driver in front of you uses their smartphone while driving?"
The answer is "Yes" for 75% of respondents!
And yet, when asked: "In the last 30 days, have you used a mobile phone while driving to make a call or send a text message?", 25% of respondents using a hands-free kit and 8% of respondents not using a hands-free kit answered yes!
A few figures
- 20% of people who use their mobile phone while driving do so to read or write and send a text message.
- 1 in 6 drivers uses their mobile phone on 1 out of every 2 trips!
- This behaviour is most common among young drivers (26 to 35 years old), company car drivers and those who drive more than 30,000 km/year.
Mobile phones while driving: a deadly danger
Yet it is clear that using a mobile phone while driving is dangerous: it is behind 5% of serious accidents, and causes more than 30 deaths a year and more than 2,500 accidents.
A driver using their mobile phone while driving very quickly loses concentration. They become less attentive to the road, react more slowly to an unexpected situation, drive more hesitantly and brake more abruptly (without anticipation).
Legislation
A driver may not use a smartphone or mobile phone while driving their vehicle, except to make or receive phone calls via a hands-free system properly fitted in the vehicle.
Typing or reading a message on a mobile phone or smartphone is therefore not allowed while driving, whether you're on the road, in a traffic jam or stopped at a red light.
Royal Decree of 01.12.1975: Royal Decree issuing general regulations on road traffic police and the use of public roads.
"8.3. Every driver must be fit to drive, have the required physical abilities, and possess the necessary knowledge and skill.
They must be constantly able to carry out all the manoeuvres required of them, and must at all times have control of the vehicle or the animals they are driving."
"8.4. Except when their vehicle is stopped or parked, a driver may not use a mobile phone by holding it in their hand."
On 3 March 2022, a new law came into force to supplement the regulations on the use of mobile phones while driving. As a result, all screen devices must now be out of the driver's reach or mounted on the dashboard.
The penalty
Since March 2022, fine amounts correspond to those for a third-degree offence. The fine that may be imposed on you if the police catch you using a mobile phone or smartphone while driving is €174 if you pay the fine directly, or €235 as a settlement. The police court can impose a fine ranging from €240 to €4,000, or, depending on the circumstances, order the withdrawal of your driving licence (especially in the case of a repeat offence).
Be careful, as the police may use cameras placed in police vehicles or unmarked vehicles to carry out checks.
Federal prosecutors' offices can introduce specific rules within their jurisdiction. For example, the Limburg prosecutor's office has decided that, since 1 February 2024, the financial penalty for using a mobile phone while driving can be supplemented by the immediate withdrawal of the driving licence for 15 days!
What should you do if you need to check your texts while driving?
Never do it while you're in traffic. Pull over to the side of the road somewhere you can safely park your vehicle.
Be careful, as some countries are very strict about this, and simply having your engine running (even while parked) can lead some police officers to fine you!
Note: Using or checking a mobile phone or smartphone isn't only "dangerous" for car drivers, but also for cyclists and pedestrians who, with their eyes glued to their screen, stop paying attention to traffic!
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First published: 02/2018 - Updated: 05/2022
