Number of drivers caught using an old polluting car in Brussels fell sharply

Between 1 – 31 October, 228 drivers were fined because of the use of pre-1997 diesel vehicles.

Within the same period, more than 286,000 vehicles have been flashed, while 228 fees have been issued because the drivers did not comply with the ban on old diesel cars.

Since January, this ban has entered into force in the Brussels-Capital region. All the M1, M2, M3 and N1 (except the ones with a BC code) vehicles are concerned about this legislation, regardless of whether the vehicles are registered in Belgium or abroad. A transitional period has, however, been into force over the nine first months of the year. Concretely, the drivers have received tickets only since the beginning of October.

If a person does not comply with the new regulation, he or she will pay EUR 350. And every infringement is sanctioned with the same amount. If you want to renew your car, please be aware of the fact that a new ticket can only be imposed three months after the last one. In a nutshell, after the first ticket, you can think about buying a new car for 90 days.

More than 180 CCTV cameras have been set up in different places in the Brussels-Capital region. While they are supposed to check compliance with this rule, they’re also used for policing purposes.

Some people might find this regulation quite controversial or unfair. But it seems it is progressively working. 240 infringements per day were registered at the beginning of the year, and only 40 per day have been recorded at the end of October, and 3/4 of them are recidivists.

This is however not the end of the story. As of January, the ban will be extended to Euro 2 diesel vehicles as well as Euro 1 standard petrol vehicles. It will affect 25,000 cars, which is a significant number compared with the 3,000 today.

Will the air pollution be reduced over the upcoming years?