Polish Driver Wants Travel Costs After Ghent Fine
A Polish driver in his 20s traveled all the way to Ghent, Belgium, to face a traffic charge. After being fined, he made an unusual request: he wanted the court to reimburse his travel expenses.
The judge was not convinced.
The case dates back to May 19, 2025, when a Citroën Berlingo was caught running a red light on Kortrijksesteenweg in Ghent. According to the report, the traffic light had already been red for two seconds when the vehicle passed through the intersection.
The vehicle’s owner was initially summoned to appear before Ghent’s police court but said he had not been driving at the time. The actual driver was a friend, who traveled from Poland to Belgium on Tuesday to answer for the offence. The owner also attended the hearing.
The Polish driver admitted running the red light. The court fined him 240 euros and imposed an eight-day driving ban, which applies only in Belgium.
Driver Asks Court to Cover His Travel Expenses
Even after the sentence was handed down, the hearing was not quite over. The driver asked whether he could get his travel costs reimbursed because he had made the journey from Poland to Ghent. He apparently believed he had appeared in court as a witness rather than as the accused.
The judge quickly corrected that misunderstanding. “You are not here as a witness, but as a suspect,” the judge told him, according to the report.
The court also rejected the idea of reimbursing his travel expenses. The judge responded with the remark: “We already pay enough in Belgium.”
The driver and the vehicle’s owner ultimately returned to Poland without receiving any compensation.
The case offers an unusual reminder that traveling a long distance to attend court does not automatically entitle someone to have their expenses covered. In this instance, the driver was there to answer for a traffic offence he admitted committing.
