Some 2.7 million minor traffic offences recorded in the second four-month period of 2020
In the second four-month period of 2020 (May–August), 2,679,310 minor traffic offences were imposed under the Traffic Regulations (Administrative Enforcement) Act (Wet administratiefrechtelijke handhaving verkeersvoorschriften or ‘Wahv’). This represents a decrease compared with the same period of the previous year, when 2,974,497 traffic fines were issued for infringements such as speeding, driving through red lights and using a hand-held phone in traffic. These figures have been published in the second four-monthly Wahv summary for 2020.*
Although the number of minor traffic offences recorded has declined compared with the same period of the previous year, a slight increase is evident compared with the first four-month period of 2020, when 2,481,352 traffic fines were imposed. Following the government’s call to the population in mid-March to stay at home as much as possible due to the coronavirus, traffic on the roads declined considerably, which was also reflected in the number of minor traffic offences recorded.
In the second four-month period of 2020, mainly the number of minor traffic offences detected using number plate recognition pursuant to the Wahv declined: 2,497,472 in May–August this year compared with 2,801,327 in the same period last year.
However, the number of on-the-spot fines increased from 173,170 in the second four-month period of 2019 to 181,838 this year. An increase was mainly seen in on-the-spot fines for using a handheld phone: 58,934 in May–August this year compared with 44,540 in the same period last year. This is partly attributable to fines being issued due to the prohibition of mobile phone use while cycling, which took effect on 1 July 2019.
Speeding offences
Most traffic fines were imposed for speeding: 2,225,014 in the second four-month period of 2020, compared with 2,470,294 in the same period of the previous year. The majority of these offences were detected with digital enforcement tools using number plate recognition technology. In May–August 2020, 1,034,430 speeding offences were detected by speed cameras, 670,448 by an average speed check and 482,446 by mobile radar equipment.
Foreign-based traffic offenders
In the second four-month period of 2019, 339,876 traffic fines were sent to foreign-based traffic offenders, which is lower than the 381,122 recorded in the same period in 2019.
* The four-monthly 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).