Dario and his friends couldn’t believe their eyes. On March 29 around 12:30 a.m., on returning from Brussels, they saw a ghost driver appear on the R3 (Ring de Charleroi) near Montigny-le-Tilleul. They filmed the scene to try to warn of the danger by sharing these images. Fortunately, no accident was reported by the federal police in the hours following this situation, which could have turned out to be dramatic. No reports were filed with law enforcement either, indicating that the ghost driver was able to fix his mistake quickly.
Does this type of panicking situation often lead to accidents?
As Benoît Godart, spokesperson for the Vias institute, responsible for road safety campaigns, points out, this phenomenon remains “important” in Belgium because “These accidents are 6 to 7 times more deadly than normal motorway accidents, because they happen at high speed and are often frontal. Now, there are not dozens and dozens of accidents involving ghost drivers. We refuel a dozen a year, so it’s not huge.
“It’s a problem because in 70% of cases, the driver dies. However, these accidents represent 0.03% of all accidents, so it doesn’t happen every day. It’s scary when it happens, because it’s not something that happens in the career of the average motorist”, he points out.
Who are these ghost drivers?
There are two types of profiles, says Benoit Godart.
A first profile plus “young”, “someone who has consumed a lot of alcohol, drugs or medication. One in two cases, the driver is under the influence of alcohol”, indicates the Vias spokesperson.
“The second profile is older, i.e. a senior who has lost his bearings and who is having trouble finding himself. He takes a motorway exit for an entrance. This is the reason why seniors are 4 times more represented in crashes involving phantom drivers.”
How to further improve road safety?
For the spokesperson for the Vias institute, the situation in Belgium has improved, in particular with the presence of“huge fluorescent yellow signs on which it is marked stop (see picture above). Ghost drivers are also reported more quickly thanks to the signs with variable message which are on the highways. Finally, stopping radio programs to report them is also an added advantage.”
And to add: “However, we will never arrest someone who has 3.5 g of alcohol in their blood and who does not see these signs. Totally preventing this type of accident is almost impossible, but we have made significant progress these last years.”
What behaviors to adopt in such a situation?
The two main tips:
– Slow down when the ghost driver is announced and keep to the right because the ghost driver will normally also drive on his right (on your left).
– It is also advisable to report this driver as soon as possible to the emergency services.
A tip for the ghost driver: “Above all, he must not get back in the right direction himself”emphasizes Benoit Godart. “She must call the emergency services and park her car, if possible, on the central berm, get out and take shelter. You must not turn around yourself. This must be done at using police vehicles.
A ghost car detection system, unique in Europe
In March 2021, the Luwa group also presented a system for detecting wrong-way cars called “ghost cars”. As part of the Lumières 4.0 Plan, it should equip 300 Walloon motorway slip roads by the end of 2023 to avoid and prevent accidents.
“At this stage, more than 80 ramps are equipped with the system. They are still in the testing and configuration phase”specifies Héloïse Winandy, the spokeswoman for SOFICO, the manager of the Walloon motorway network.
This is a new device, “unique in Europe”. It will make it possible to detect so-called ‘ghost’ cars thanks to a light system which warns both the ghost driver and other users.
How it works? The ghost car detection device will warn other drivers with a flashing light that illuminates a good part of the road. It is therefore impossible to miss these lights. They are activated by an intelligent camera and identify oncoming traffic.
The lighting warns both the phantom driver but also the others: those who are driving in the right direction and who do not expect to see a car coming in front of them.
A ghost car reported every 3 days
This light warning system is one of the measures put in place to fight against ghost drivers on the main roads. “In Wallonia, a ghost car is reported every 3 days. Hence the creation of such a device. Belgium is a pioneer”, emphasizes Héloïse Winandy.
Many measures are also implemented in the field:
- Placement of no entry signs,
- arrows on the ground,
- Placement of a specific signal, hand on a yellow background, not systematically installed at all accesses but when the exit and the entrance, for example, are contiguous or the exit has two traffic lanes.
The placement of harrows is not envisaged for several reasons recalls the Sofico:
- Because they would cause accidents by bursting the tires,
- Because the exits must be able to be taken in the opposite direction by the emergency services.
In 2016, a new tool was also put in place to report information: a partnership between the police and Coyote users. Users can report the presence of a ghost driver. A blue lamp then lights up at the PEREX centre.
“The contraflow driver is then located. Variable message signs are activated on the network and the police send a team to the spot to intercept him”, precise Héloïse Winandy. “Finally, note that ghost drivers can also be reported directly to the PEREX center using the Edwige application (application that replaces emergency telephone terminals).