Driver data exchange for France and Belgium to punish offenders

France and Belgium have now agreed on the bilateral exchange of information relating to motoring offences. The two countries now have reciprocal access to car registration files, enabling the authorities to punish offences committed in either country. Belgian drivers caught by speed cameras in France and French drivers caught speeding or running red lights in Belgium will be now face appropriate penalties. Since speed cameras were deployed in France, around one quarter of offences concern vehicles registere
July 9, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
France and Belgium have now agreed on the bilateral exchange of information relating to motoring offences. The two countries now have reciprocal access to car registration files, enabling the authorities to punish offences committed in either country.

Belgian drivers caught by speed cameras in France and French drivers caught speeding or running red lights in Belgium will be now face appropriate penalties. Since speed cameras were deployed in France, around one quarter of offences concern vehicles registered abroad, while these vehicles represent just 5% of traffic. Around 400,000 violations picked up by speed cameras in France in 2011 were committed by vehicles registered in Belgium.

This development comes ahead of a Europe-wide drive that will allow the authorities to exchange data between the 27 nations and punish drivers committing offences in other countries. This has been recognised as a serious problem for some time, with some drivers escaping fines or driving bans for serious offences committed in other EU nations.

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