Archive image. — © Tom Palmaers
A 15-year-old boy was caught by the police on Friday evening while driving a car under the influence of drugs at 200 kilometers per hour in the center of Hornu, in the province of Hainaut.
Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 7:32 PM
The police noticed the vehicle when it sped at high speed through the built-up area of the former mining community in the Borinage around 9:15 p.m. A 15-year-old boy was at the wheel, who did not have a valid driver’s license and also appeared to be under the influence of cannabis. The driver was accompanied by a peer. The boy will have to answer to court for the various traffic violations.
Increased drug use behind the wheel
In the first 9 months of this year, 3,027 accidents were registered in which a driver was under the influence, according to figures from the traffic institute Vias. That is 12 per day or 1 accident every two hours. That number is slightly lower than last year for the same period: 3,138 accidents. In the same period in 2021 there were ‘only’ 2,489. The increase in drug use behind the wheel is striking. More than 420,000 drivers were checked during last year’s bob campaign. Of these, 1.8 percent had a positive breath test, and about 3 percent had a positive drug test.
With the Christmas and New Year period approaching, federal and local police forces carry out additional checks every year for driving under the influence. The bob winter campaign will run for the next two months.