Flemish government warns with a new campaign for overloading vehicles
© Getty Images/Johner RF
The Flemish government warns of the dangers of a heavily charged vehicle. Flemish Minister of Finance Ben Weyts (N-VA) and Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) launched a new campaign in the Recyclage Park in Ninove on Saturday morning.
Source: Belga
Today at 13:42
« You don’t win with overloaded driving. » That is the new slogan for the campaign that people should make aware of the load of their vehicle. There are rules about loading a vehicle. You may not exceed the maximum permitted mass (MTM) of your car or trailer. But many Flemish people think that it doesn’t hurt so much to cram a vehicle overflowing, for example, if they drive to the recycling park. « People know that they drag too much, but don’t lift it so hard, » says Minister Weyts. « That mentality must be different. »
Because overflowing has negative consequences. « You put yourself and others in traffic, » says Minister De Ridder. « A overloaded vehicle is more difficult to control, has a longer braking distance and can lead to folding tires. » Moreover, overriding causes damage to the roads.
The campaign is aimed at ordinary Flemish people with a trailer, but also on truck drivers. « Even those who drive a car full of garden waste or old furniture to the recycling park sometimes goes wrong. » In 2024, 4,500 vehicles were effectively overloaded of the nearly 8,000 vehicles controlled. 57 percent of the controlled vehicles on mass turned out to be overloaded.
If you are caught with an overloaded vehicle, you risk a fine of up to 10,000 euros. « Those fines end up in the Flemish greenhouse, but I would like to see this source of income dry, » says Weyts. With the campaign, the Flemish government wants to help people to pay close attention to their load, so that they can get on the road without worries.
