First you blow, then you decide whether the car leaves. Belgium is preparing a system that sounds like science fiction, but it’s a very real pilot project.
Federal Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke announced it on Tuesday, October 6, during the States General of Road Safety forum in Brussels. The idea: to install barriers with breathalyzers at the exits of garages and public parking lots. Drivers blow into a mouthpiece connected by a tube to a terminal, and the barrier opens only if the result is negative. Anyone who tests positive won’t be able to take their car out of the premises.
The trial will begin in Hasselt, a Flemish city in the north of the country, and is inspired by technology already used in Sweden. “The aim is to maximize prevention”, Crucke explained, estimating that around 25 % of accidents are alcohol-related. The announcement comes as Belgian roads are on alert: according to road safety institute Vias, 223 people died in the first half of 2026, 6 % more than a year earlier.
Many countries are already watching this measure closely, as it could help reduce traffic accidents caused by drunk drivers.