About GET
When things are at their worst... a GET emergency phone is nearby!
At your service, rain or shine.
An emergency phone can save your life! GET is the driving force behind the far-reaching emergency phone network in Flanders, in Brussels and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Car troubles? Just press the yellow button on an orange emergency phone and help will soon be on its way.
In the Federal Police headquarters, a graphic screen supplies on-line information on access roads and the nearest emergency services. The help you need will be mobilised without delay. GET is also responsible for collecting statistics on the density of accidents and car trouble.
You can find more information on how to use emergency phones under "In trouble on the motorway": emergency phones versus mobile phones or ,on the website of the Federal Police.
Where are the emergency phones located?
On the motorways, emergency phones have been set up every two kilometres on either side of the road. This adds up to a total of 1,347 phones on the roads in Flanders, in Brussels and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The network is connected to eleven emergency phone switchboards: Ten at the Federal Police’s headquarters and one in the headquarters of the Luxembourg police force.
GET is responsible for the network and the switchboards in Flanders, in Brussels and in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
How do emergency phones work?
The emergency phones work on their own communication system, via underground cables along the motorway. These cables are also used to transmit other information such as the number of vehicles, camera surveillance and variable signals.
During excavation works, the cables often end up being damaged or destroyed, causing a number of emergency phones to cease functioning. If the necessary repairs take a longer time, this is announced on the radio.
What are the emergency phones used for?
The emergency phones are used to call for help in any of the following cases:
- car trouble
- traffic jams,
- obstacles on the road,
- stray animals,
- ghost-drivers,
- accidents.
It is extremely easy to use an emergency phone: you don’t need any coins and you don’t even need to pick up the receiver. Simply press on the bright yellow button and you will hear the voice of a federal police agent from one of the nine provincial headquarters.
Despite the traffic speeding past, the audibility is good. The conversation is also taped.
Emergency phones versus mobile phones
The major advantage of an emergency phone over a cell phone is that you will be sure to indicate the correct location. This is essential for rapid emergency help. As soon as you press that yellow button, the graphic screen at the nearest police headquarters will display a highly detailed map of the location of the call. This way the police knows exactly which motorway, which location and which direction you are located at, as well as the nearest ramps and exits.
Was it Waremme or Waregem? Rekkem or Rekem? Direction Hamme or Halle? Using an emergency phone avoids any misunderstandings and guarantees that help will be on its way soon.
Mobile emergency phones
Carpool parking lots now feature the latest emergency phone: a wireless model using solar cells. This emergency phone sends the call via the cell phone network. The user won’t see or hear any difference with the traditional emergency phone.
New emergency phones?
Although the Belgian and Luxembourg motorways are already equipped with emergency phones, the market is still active. Maintenance is labour-intensive, in addition to which we have to replace some fifty emergency phones annually.
We are continually working to make the switchboards more modern and user-friendly, for example through:
- user-friendly graphic user interfaces;
- powerful mouse-based software;
- detailed coloured roads on the screen.