“Lower speed but also better infrastructure”: governor on road safety

He thus follows the recommendations of the Flemish Forum for Road Safety. But introducing the restrictions as standard everywhere, he thinks is a bridge too far. That is not necessary everywhere, and certain roads also have to be designed differently first, he says.

Speed ​​is the determining factor in 43% of accidents

Standard 100 km/h on motorways, standard 30 km/h in built-up areas. And even 50 km/h where you are now allowed 70 if it is unsafe for vulnerable road users. This is recommended by the Flemish Forum for Road Safety. Please slow down, our governor agrees. He is abroad, his head of cabinet expresses his point of view.

Koen Surdiacourt, acting governor: “It is certainly a good thing for West Flanders. Because we also see from the governor’s services, with our annual analysis of fatal accidents, that speed is a determining factor in 43% of the cases We also see: the lower the speed, the lower the severity of the accident.”

“Also adjust roads”

Nevertheless, the governor is not in favor of introducing that decrease of 20 km per hour as standard everywhere. It’s tailor-made, he says. Certain roads require this, others do not, and others must first be adapted.

“I think it would be a bad thing to blindly apply that measure everywhere. More is needed than just posting a sign of 50, 30 or 70 km per hour, of course. It must also be clear to the road user, also without that sign, that it is a road that is designated to drive at that speed. This is called the legibility of the road. It must correspond to the speed that one wants. It is tailor-made, which is why the road manager must also be included in this thought exercise.”

The governor also believes that the measures will only have their effect if the police can carry out sufficient checks.