Belgium bans use of mobile phones in car, on bicycle and on motorcycle | Abroad

Until now, only calling with the mobile in hand while driving has been punishable in Belgium. The extended ban also applies to other electronic devices, such as tablets or e-readers. The devices should also not be placed on the passenger seat or center console for use.

According to MP Jef Van den Bergh, someone who looks at his smartphone for five seconds for 100 meters does not have his eyes on the road. “And according to some studies, people can easily look at their mobiles for twenty or thirty seconds. So then you drive blind in traffic,” he tells the Flemish news channel VRT. “The message is very clear: when you drive, keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel.”

In the Netherlands, a woman who was fined because she had a telephone on her lap while driving, did not have to pay a fine of 240 euros from the Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal in August. She argued that she was not holding her phone, but had it on her lap while driving.

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