So this is my first thread on this site.. am not actually new to belgium, i come here with my hubby and kids every six months for his break from work (yes he is begian) until this time we are relocating and i decided i wanted to stay here during teh transistion period during which he finds us a house.

I have lived all my life in the middle east and driving here was a complete shock. None the less I think I might have been flashed by the speed cameras but unlike the middle east its not as easy as looking it on the web (yes that happens). So can anyone give me an inside of really how much more are u allowed to go.. ?? and other than waiting for the mail is there a way of finding out traffic fines???

Belgian drivers are truly awful. I've seen behaviour here which would get people chasing you down and shooting you (with good reason) in the US. Try looking up maps on ViaMichelin.com, they often have the stationary cameras indicated...

Many Belgian drivers may drive inconsiderately, but 'truly awful' is - IM(NSH)O stretching it a bit.

I've just returned from a sojourn in Mississippi, where almost every day I was regaled with reports in the local press of (usually) single vehicle accidents where 'the vehicle left the road.'

Well, yes! the roads in Mississippi are so boring that the vehicles just get fed up with going along them and they leave the road - presumably to explore the woods.

My son (who has a motorcycle licence, but had never driven a car before) came to stay with me for Easter. He wanted a driving licence, so he spent 3 * 20 minute sessions driving his mum's car, 2*20 minute sessions in my truck then took the test.

The test lasted 4 minutes. He's a very considerate and responsible person and he apologised to the tester for exceeding the speed limit during the test. "That's OK," said she "You didn't go more than 10mph above. - You've passed."

American drivers do tend to be at a disadvantage. - Most of them are 'handy-capped' (they drive around with a 'handy' screwed into one ear, a burger in one hand and a cup of coffee (or a beer) in the other.) -

No wonder the cars get bored and 'leave the road'

There are a couple of easy-to-remember rules which will make driving simple in Belgium:

1. Beware the man in the hat. If you see a car driven by a gentleman wearing a hat, get out of his way. He probably doesn't even realise you're on the road and if he does, it's his right-of-way [because he was driving on that road before you were born and he has 'droit de Seigneur'] (unless you're in Flanders, in which case, he owns the road.)

2. Give way to any vehicle which is older than yours which is stationary at a road junction on your right. Some people drive older vehicles, but they too would like to drive the latest machinery. One way of obtaining a new car (at a very reasonable price) is to 'induce' you to pay for it. If you hit a vehicle coming from a junction on your right, you pay. He gets a new car. (even if he has to accelerate flat out to get in front of you, you pay.)

3. If a suntanned gentleman in Brussels asks you for a lift and suggests that he would prefer to be alone in the vehicle, give him the keys and invite him to use it. (If you have a knife or a gun you may feel inclined to practice your linguistic skills - but he too probably has a knife or a gun and those skills will only serve you well if you're a better shot/faster slasher than he is.)

Don't try to outrun a Belgian police car - and whatever you do, don't upset Belgian plainclothes (unmarked) motorcycle cops. (They ride dark grey BMW R1100RTs or Gold K1200LTs)

ROFL

I would like to add roundabouts to Manuel's points:

5. In Brussels when people miss an exit on a roundabout they think they have 2 options, make another round and waste expensive fuel, or break, reverse and then exit the roundabout. This ofcourse without looking in the rear view mirror.

This reverse thing can be applied on one way roads too.

6. If you're an EU official, buy a cheap car and put a EU license plate on it. Car mechanics couldn't demolish it any quicker than Brusseloix can.

All expats know by instinct that only the drivers in their homeland are reasonable to good road users. Expats in Belgium know for a fct that Belgian drivers are the worst in the world! Expats in The Netherlands know for a fact that Dutch drivers are by far the worst in the world. Expats in France know for sure that French drivers are madmen, etc. etc. ad nauseam!
IMHO there are good and bad drivers in all countries, even if these persons don't have a licence or, shock horror, don't even have an insurance!

LOL! I certainly woudn't say that the drivers where I come from are good drivers ... with only about 15km of roads and a maximum speed limit of 30mph they don't get a lot of practice.

Interesting that you should mention insurance. If nobody in a country had any 'accidents' (and they're rarely pure accidents - in most cases they're caused by inattention, poor observation, carelessness, recklessness or downright incompetence) then insurance premiums would be extremely low. - If there were no accidents, then there would be no claims and the insurance premiums would have to cover the administrative costs of the policies only.

The more claims there are, and the greater the value of those claims, then the higher the premiums.

How do insurance premiums in Belgium compare to those in other EU countries?

What is the annual accident rate per 1000 vehicles per 1000 km in Belgium?

How does the Belgian accident rate compare with that of other EU countries?

I don't have the foggiest idea...