Merchtem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ludwig Meersman from Merchtem got a false speeding ticket in Antwerp. He was elsewhere (Strombeek-Bever, Imde), suspects fake plates. Must respond in 15 days or pay €500.
As VRT News reported, Ludwig Meersman, a mover from Merchtem, a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, got a speeding ticket he says is wrong. The ticket says he was speeding in Antwerp, but he was working in other places that day.
He has proof, like his work schedule and invoices, showing he was in Strombeek-Bever and Imde. His truck couldn’t have been in Antwerp. Ludwig thinks someone copied his license plate. He mentioned that someone else used a fake plate with his number.
Is a fake license plate costing Ludwig Meersman €500?
Ludwig now has another problem. He got a letter asking him to say who was driving the car when the speeding happened. He has 15 days to answer, or he’ll owe 500 euros more. But Ludwig can’t say who was driving because he wasn’t there, and it wasn’t his car. He mentioned that he has to argue he’s not guilty, using his proof. He also needs to tell the police and his insurance about the fake license plate.
The police told Ludwig he needs a new license plate. This is to stop more tickets or bigger problems, like being wrongly blamed for crimes. A police chief said this kind of thing doesn’t happen often, but it can be serious if not fixed fast. The fake plate is probably on a car like Ludwig’s.
He mentioned that sometimes, criminals use these plates on stolen cars to do bad things without getting caught. Ludwig’s plate could be used for more tickets or even crimes like stealing or selling drugs. That’s why the police want him to get a new plate from the Belgian vehicle registration office.
Ludwig is frustrated because he believes the current system should be more advanced. He argues that speed cameras and automated license plate recognition systems should be capable of distinguishing between real and counterfeit plates.
According to Ludwig, with the technology available today, it should be possible to prevent this type of mix-up. However, the police point out that the current systems primarily rely on plate numbers and do not verify whether the license plate captured by the camera is legitimate or fake.
He mentioned that the burden of proof unfairly falls on the victim, who must defend their innocence and take proactive steps, such as changing their license plate, to avoid further complications.
