No big fine thanks to angry farmers

A motorist in too much of a hurry in a built-up area was able to avoid having his licence revoked and a heavy fine thanks to a protest by the farming community. The sign was upside down!

A few months ago, many farmers in Flanders and Wallonia took action to reverse road signs in protest. They mainly targeted the F1a and F1b signs demarcating built-up areas. These signs impose a speed limit of 50 km/h in these two regions. However, a driver was caught speeding at 86 km/h in February 2024 in the built-up area of ​​the Flemish municipality of Pervijze (Diksmuide). Several signs had been reversed on the roads in this area.

Fine anyway

A returned sign is neither compliant nor legitimate, ruled a judge at the police court in Veurne. He took into account the remarks of the driver’s lawyer. The driver is not exempt from the fine, however. But it will be calculated on the basis of the speed limit outside built-up areas, i.e. 70 km/h in Flanders, instead of the 50 km/h on the road. He therefore received a fine of 256 euros, part of which is suspended. He will also have to pay 200 euros to the Fund for Aid to Victims of Intentional Acts of Violence. 

Lesser penalty

Without the inverted sign and if the judge had followed the advice of the public prosecutor rather than the lawyer’s argument of confusion, the motorist would have risked much more: several hundred euros in fines and, above all, a temporary loss of the right to drive. He can therefore consider himself lucky to only have to pay a fine and a contribution. Furthermore, the judge also indicated that the municipal authorities had failed in their duty by not quickly putting the signs in the right direction.