Some 8.4 million minor traffic offences recorded in 2019
In 2019, there were 8,369,480 traffic infringements under the Traffic Regulations (Administrative Enforcement) Act (Wet administratiefrechtelijke handhaving verkeersvoorschriften, Wahv). This number is a decrease compared with the year before, when 9,182,573 traffic fines were issued for infringements such as speeding, running red lights and using a hand-held phone in traffic. These figures were published in the Wahv annual summary for 2019.*
The lower number of traffic fines is due to a decline in traffic offences detected using number plate recognition pursuant to the Wahv: 7,838,782 compared with 8,778,938 the year before. By contrast, the number of on-the-spot fines rose from 403,635 in 2018 to 530,698 last year.
Using a hand-held phone in traffic
Part of the explanation for the increase in on-the-spot fines is the police's intensified focus on traffic infringements such as speeding, running red lights and being distracted by telephone use, among other things. The number of fines imposed for using a hand-held phone in traffic saw an especially dramatic rise from 80,425 in 2018 to 121,364 last year. This number included 21,327 fines for using a mobile phone while cycling between July and December of last year, as a result of the stricter regulations on using a mobile phone in traffic from 1 July 2019.
Another part of the explanation for the increase in on-the-spot fines over 2019 is the industrial action by the police unions in the summer of 2018 in connection with collective labour agreement negotiations. During that year, this action reduced the number of on-the-spot fines.
Speeding offences
Most traffic fines were imposed for speeding: 6,833,365 in 2019 compared with 7,757,803 the year before. The majority of these offences were detected with digital enforcement tools using number plate recognition technology. As a result, this category is responsible for the bulk of the general decrease. Last year, 3,478,825 speeding offences were detected by speed cameras, compared with 4,013,705 in 2018. A further 1,832,599 traffic fines were imposed following an average speed check in 2019, compared with 2,083,068 in 2018. Finally, 1,443,782 speeding offences were detected by mobile radar equipment last year, compared with 1,599,576 the year before.
There could be more than one reason for the lower number of speeding offences. As roads have become more crowded, speeding is more difficult. Drivers are also warned about the location of speed cameras and average speed checks. With this knowledge, they observe the speed limit more carefully at these places. The fact that a number of average speed checks and speed cameras were temporarily suspended due to maintenance may also explain the decline in traffic offences detected using number plate recognition.
Foreign-based traffic offenders
In 2019, 1,000,460 of all traffic fines imposed were sent to foreign-based traffic offenders, compared with 1,063,014 the year before. The United Kingdom and Ireland joined the automated vehicle registration data exchange system, which is based on the European Union Cross-Border Enforcement (CBE) Directive, in December 2018; Denmark, Cyprus and Greece followed suit in December 2019.
* The summary of traffic fines pursuant to the Wahv, also known as the Mulder Act, is compiled by the Ministry of Justice and Security, the National Police, the Central Fine Collection Agency (CJIB) and the Public Prosecution Service (OM).