Traffic offences

If you drive excessively fast, the police may immediately withdraw your driving licence. This happens in the case of serious offences.

You risk this if you drive more than 20 km/h over the speed limit in a built-up area, 30 km/h zone or residential area. On all other roads, this applies when you drive more than 30 km/h over the speed limit.

The police may also immediately withdraw your driving licence for other serious offences.

A disqualification from driving, or driving ban, is imposed by a judge in court.

If you drive more than 20 km/h over the speed limit in a built-up area, 30 km/h zone or residential area, or more than 30 km/h over the speed limit on any other road, the judge may impose a driving ban.

If you drive more than 30 km/h over the speed limit in a built-up area, 30 km/h zone or residential area, or more than 40 km/h over the speed limit on any other road, the judge must impose a driving ban.

The driving ban lasts for at least eight days and can last up to five years. Penalties are even stricter for new drivers who have held their driving licence for less than two years.

Driving too fast is not the only offence: you must also not drive unnecessarily slowly, brake without good reason or stop without good reason.

A repeat offence means that you commit another offence within three years of a conviction.

This applies, among other things, to:

• driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• driving without a valid driving licence
• driving without insurance
• using a radar detector
• committing a hit-and-run offence
• excessive or inappropriate speed
• fourth-degree offences

If you are convicted again within this period, you will receive a driving ban of at least three months.

You must then retake both the theory and practical driving tests and pass medical and psychological assessments.

If you receive two convictions within this period, the driving ban is at least six months. With three convictions, it increases to at least nine months.

If you have held your category B driving licence for less than 2 years, you face stricter penalties for certain serious offences.

This applies, among other things, to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, excessive speeding and third- or fourth-degree offences, as well as to other serious violations.