Next year, the fines for traffic violations will be more expensive again, they will rise by 10 percent. This year they also rose by 8.3 percent. The increases appear not to be intended to tackle offenders more harshly.
The increase this year was intended to compensate for inflation, the central government has already announced. But out the Spring Note which Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag sent to the House of Representatives on Friday shows that traffic fines will increase again by 10 percent in 2024.
Increasing traffic fines should primarily contribute to covering the budget deficit. All departments, with the exception of the Ministry of Defence, contribute to this. But this is not the only reason for the higher fines.
According to the Ministry of Justice and Security, the current income from traffic fines is disappointing because section controls and speed cameras are regularly unavailable due to roadworks on the relevant route and also due to maintenance and replacement of the equipment for speed controls at fixed locations.
As a result, the treasury will miss out on more than 190 million euros in income next year. And in the next five years, that setback will further increase to roughly 250 million euros. The cabinet is investing nearly 800 million euros, spread over a period of four years, to update the speed camera equipment and section checks.
The police regularly check from a coach whether motorists have their phones in hand (video):
Driving with phone in hand: 418 euros
As a result of all this, traffic fines will rise again next year. Anyone who runs a red light can expect a fine of 308 euros next year, while it now costs 280 euros. Driving with the phone in your hand currently leads to a fine of 380 euros, but this will be 418 euros next year. Driving on the left unnecessarily? That will now cost you 240 euros, but from next year 264 euros. All speeding fines will also increase by 10 percent in 2024.
In the meantime, a boost to the income of the national government is the increase in the number of official reports for motorists who are behind the wheel with their phone in their hand. The police speak of an increase of no less than 35 percent. The latest figures from the police show that last year 115,575 motorists received a ticket for this. And that was more than 30,000 more than in 2021 (85,329).
It’s not just drivers who make mistakes
The increase in the number of fines comes according to Paul Broer, traffic portfolio holder at the national police, largely due to the commissioning of the so-called MONOcam on 1 July 2021. This camera can automatically verbalize motorists for holding a mobile phone. The police are also increasingly checking motorists from driving coaches.
Incidentally, not only car drivers make mistakes with their smartphones. Last year, a total of 179,295 road users were fined for holding a mobile phone. Motorcyclists, moped and moped riders and cyclists were also thrown on the ticket. The actual figures are probably even higher, because these figures are only from the police. Boas may also issue a ticket for holding a mobile phone in the car or on a bicycle, motorcycle or moped. But those figures are not included in the police data.
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