VAB supports abolishing priority to the right traffic rule
Based on the success of one Flemish town, motoring organisation VAB would like to see a rethink of Belgium’s infamous traffic regulation
Glabbeek for the win
While giving a driver coming from the right the right-of-way is common across Europe in the case of an unclear intersection, Belgium takes the regulation a step further. Unless otherwise indicated with a signal, signage or shark teeth, roads entering from the right always have right-of-way in Belgium, regardless of the size of the roads, the speed limits or if a car is turning onto a road from a T intersection.
This means that cars going in opposite directions on the same road have different priorities, depending on if a car is entering on the driver’s right or left. Some roads are “priority roads”, marked with signs with orange diamonds. These signs are small and are not always noticed by drivers. Some tourists and newcomers to Belgium simply don’t know what they indicate, while in some countries they indicate that the rule applies only to the next intersection.
The priority to the right regulation has long flummoxed foreigners, but it can also prove exasperating to Belgians. “The right-of-way regulation leads to confusion, to incorrect reactions and, therefore, to accidents,” Maarten Matienko of VAB told Het Nieuwsblad.
Small town, small roads
At the end of 2017, Glabbeek in Flemish Brabant abolished the right-of-way rule. “In one year, the number of traffic accidents that could be attributed to this regulation fell from 18 to three,” said the mayor, Peter Reekmans (LDD). “This would suggest that our decision has improved traffic safety in our town.”
With just over 5,000 residents, Glabbeek saw more harm than good come from priority to the right. “A large majority of the streets in Glabbeek are small streets that feed into the main road,” said Reekmans. “Outside of three intersections, priority must now be given to traffic on the main road.”
The town identified three intersections that could be confusing and marked them clearly as to who has the right-of-way. This did not go unnoticed by VAB.
Every year, some 15,000 accidents are attributed to priority to the right
“Every year, some 15,000 accidents are attributed to priority to the right,” said Matienko. “And often it’s because the drivers didn’t realise they didn’t have the right-of-way.”
While priority to the right would remain at intersections where priority is unclear, like in other countries, VAB would like to see Glabbeek’s method become the norm. So would federal mobility minister Francois Bellot (MR).
A new version of the Traffic Code is currently before the Council of State for advice, and it does include the regulation, “but regional and local authorities can make decisions about traffic signals and signs where they see an opportunity,” said a Bellot spokesperson.
Federal road safety agency Vias, meanwhile, does not want to see a change in the regulation. “You’d have to look at every single intersection to see how it should be marked,” said a spokesperson. “Not every town has just one major road.”
Photo: Jorick Yansens/BELGA
