Motorists who look at their phone while driving will be much more often screwed from next year. The police and the Public Prosecution Service are buying dozens of new cameras that, thanks to smart software, can ‘see’ through the windshield whether a driver has a mobile phone in his hand.
The cameras will be spread throughout the country and can be moved. They can monitor a route for weeks and 24 hours a day. Agents are no longer needed. The systems work fully automatically. The photos of possible violations are immediately forwarded to the Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB). There, an employee assesses whether someone actually has a mobile phone in their hand. Violators will receive a fine of 380 euros in the mail within a few days. Anyone who drank a cup of coffee but was accidentally photographed goes unpunished.
A trial that ended in 2021 was very successful, according to the Public Prosecution Service. The chance of catching offenders was more than 95 percent. The camera is adjusted in such a way that it can film sharply downwards through the windshield. Drivers are not visible with their faces and passengers are also made invisible by the software. Of all drivers checked during the test, between 1 and 2.5 percent were found to be holding a telephone. A total of 27,720 people received a voucher.
Every police region now also has a camera with which callers behind the wheel can be caught red-handed, but which must be operated by an officer. This new system, like flash boxes for speed, can be left unattended.
The Public Prosecution Service hopes to be able to purchase about fifty cameras. The chance of being caught is thus many times greater and that is much needed, according to law enforcement officers. Like speeding and too much alcohol, mobile phone distraction is one of the top three causes of fatal accidents.
Alarming numbers
Last year there were 737 road deaths, the highest number in fifteen years. The police and the Public Prosecution Service are very concerned about road safety. They also see traffic violations rise sharply this year compared to the same period a year ago. For example, the police caught 14,787 drunk drivers (+9%), 68,897 people were distracted by their mobile phones (+52%), 75,837 drivers ran red lights (+10%) and 401,590 motorists received a ticket for all kinds of other minor offenses (+ 56%). Only the speed offenders remained virtually the same at just over 2 million.
According to the police, part of the figures can be explained by the increased traffic since the corona crisis. But officers see that the behavior of many drivers has also changed and not for the better. The fuse is shorter with antisocial road behavior such as tailgating and overtaking on the right as a result. But drivers are also much more likely to be distracted. During checks, agents come across business drivers who put documents on their handlebars. Parents who spend too much time with their child in the backseat. Truck drivers watching football or preparing microwave meals while driving. Yes, even people who sniff a line of coke while driving.
According to traffic portfolio holder at the police, Paul Broer and traffic officer Achilles Damen, there is a large group of people who increasingly do not want to comply with written and unwritten traffic rules and that worries them. Not only does this increase traffic violations, but it also means that things go wrong much more often. “A lot of numbers are going in the wrong direction. We should not consider this normal,” says Broer.
Alcohol and drugs
The biggest cause of accidents is still speeding, followed by alcohol and distraction. The police are already trying to catch speeders and callers with speed cameras and smart cameras. Next year dozens of new cameras will be introduced that automatically record drivers when they are driving with a phone in their hand.
But law enforcement officials are particularly concerned about the increasing use of alcohol and drugs. In the first four months of this year, 9 percent more drivers were caught with too much alcohol compared to a year earlier. Drug use is also a big problem. “There are people who think they can party hard on Saturday with a pill and get into the car on Monday without any problems. But then that substance is still in your blood. And if something goes wrong in traffic, you have a very big problem. People don’t think enough about that,” says traffic officer Damen.
Shouldn’t there just be more maintenance? Police officer Broer certainly thinks that with more checks the chance of being caught can be increased. Only other police tasks have to make way for this. Moreover, according to him, this does not sufficiently address the problem. “We really need to look much broader at just enforcement and punishment. When we come into the picture, it is already too late. The use of alcohol and drugs is not seen as a problem in traffic. We haven’t seen that in years. Apparently people in their environment are insufficiently inhibited. The standard has to change. Enforcement alone will not get you in the right direction.”
Own responsibility
Traffic officer Damen appeals to everyone’s responsibility. For example, on the volunteers in the sports canteen. Because why do they keep serving alcohol to members they know have come to the club by car, Damen wonders. And why doesn’t a host in a restaurant suggest to a customer to order a taxi after two glasses of wine. Patronizing? Damen thinks not. “We can’t just look at the police, OM and judges. That’s not the solution. There is a limit to enforcement. Everyone must contribute from their own responsibility to solve this problem.”
The police and the Public Prosecution Service are also expressly looking at other governments and aid agencies. Because where have the famous slogans gone like ‘Glass up, let yourself drive’ ,, Those campaigns are sometimes made fun of, but with this the conversation at parties is about this subject again.
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