Almost 40% of Walloons believe that more speed cameras are needed in Wallonia and 50% think that they are useful for road safety, according to an investigation by the Walloon Agency for Road Safety.
The results were published on the occasion of the 7th marathon of excessive speed controls. About one-quarter of drivers (23%) also use at least one system that warns of the presence of speed cameras.
Speed controls seem to have an effect on the behavior of a large number of offending drivers, with one third of the Walloons that were fined in 2015 (34%) saying they drive slower as a result of their penalties.
As for those who complain about the speed cameras, 60% of the drivers questioned believe that they should simply drive slower.
11% use Facebook or other social networks, 10% use a paid speed camera warning system such as Coyote, and 10% opt for free systems.
“It is also interesting to note that one in 20 Walloons use camera detectors and that almost 3% of drivers surveyed use laser jammers”, notes the AWSR (Road Safety Agency of Wallonia), which points out that drivers caught using either of these two types of illegal systems risk a fine of between 600 and 6,000 euros and a prison sentence of 15 days to 3 months.
However, the majority of men (one out of four Walloon drivers, compared with one in ten drivers) between the ages of 18 and 34, are those who receive the most speeding tickets. Among the Walloons who use these warning systems, 26% have had at least one speeding ticket for speeding in 2015 and this percentage is as high as 47% for drivers who use illegal systems, added the AWSR.
Speeding is therefore still considered acceptable by too many Walloon drivers, concluded the agency.
