This is a story that may keep Kamiel Schuermans busy for a few more weeks. This resident of Malle, in Antwerp, received a letter from the police on August 1st. Never a good sign, it actually contained a fine for speeding on the Antwerpsesteenweg where a mobile control had flashed it at 60 km/h in front of number 121. Being a 50 zone, and its speed being corrected to 54, the driver was asked to pay 62.66 euros. “I only had five days to pay, so I did it right away,” the octogenarian told Nieuwsblad.
However, one detail caught her daughter’s attention. Because a few days later, after passing through the Antwerpsesteenweg, she found that number 121 was in zone 70 and that Kamiel was therefore not speeding. “I drove to the police station to protest. I was told I could dispute the fine so I could get my money back. That’s what I did and I asked if I would receive my 62 euros within five days as I had been asked… I was told that I should rather expect three months! »
An even heftier fine?
All’s well that ends well? Not really. It could even be worse for Kamiel. Indeed, the Voorkempen police assure that it is an administrative error. That the radar was not at number 121 but in a 50 zone. “We have flash photos which prove that our anonymous car was parked in zone 50,” said a spokesman for the Voorkempen police.
It is now up to the prosecution to decide on the matter. If he maintains the fine despite the administrative error, the people who challenged the fine risk… having to pay an additional sum!