In Belgium, while driving, if the person is putting a cell phone in the lap will have to pay the fine. The fine has been announced and will increase from €116 to €174 will be based on the act, and it will begin on Thursday, 3 March.
In Flanders, the cases in which mobile phones were used and led to deaths, there are around 50 of the casualties noticed, and approximately 4,500 people met with accidents on the streets of Belgium every year.
According to the reports, the accidents cases in Flanders have increased, which are linked to mobile phones. If the person uses the mobile phone while driving, it is strictly prohibited, but if they keep the phone on their lap, they also have to pay the fine.
Along with this, the change to the highway code has meant to clamp down on smartphone use while driving was declared at the end of the previous year.
The minister that is in charge of the bill Joris Vandenbroucke (Vooruit MP) mentioned, “We have updated the meaning in the law so that it no longer applies only to portable mobile phones but for any mobile electronic device with a screen. These you cannot use, hold or manipulate while driving.”
Vias, the institute of Belgium for the road safety, mentioned the high figures of the injuries and death which is interlinked with the use of cell phones while driving the vehicle, “it is logical to penalize this offence more heavily, significantly as the phenomenon has diversified and increased in recent years. ”
Under the latest law, any phone which is used while driving must be connected with a mobile holder. It should not be in the lap or the seat of the passenger.
Moreover, Vias has determined in a study one in eight drivers place their phone on their lap, which is as dangerous as holding it in hand, and it distracts the person and makes the people look away from the road.
One in 20 drivers place the phone around their ear and shoulder, which is also very dangerous while driving.
Furthermore, the phone will not have to be placed on an easily-accessible stand and open to a GPS or music/ radio application.
