Almost 3 million minor traffic offences recorded in the second four-month period of 2021

In the second four-month period of 2021 (May–August), 2,977,737 minor traffic offences were penalised under the Traffic Regulations (Administrative Enforcement) Act (Wet administratiefrechtelijke handhaving verkeersvoorschriften or ‘Wahv’). This is an increase compared with the same period of the previous year, when 2,679,310 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 2021.*

The increase in the number of minor traffic offences detected in the second four-month period of this year is probably partly due to the fact that it was a lot quieter on the roads in the months of May to August of last year after the government’s call to the public in mid-March 2020 to stay at home as much as possible because of coronavirus.

In addition, more average speed check systems are in operation compared with the same period last year. The number of minor traffic offences detected with digital enforcement equipment increased from 2,497,472 in the months of May to August 2020 to 2,822,256 in the same period in 2021. By contrast, the number of arrests was somewhat higher last year than this year. In the second four-month period of this year, 155,481 traffic fines were issued following arrests, compared with 181,838 in the same period in 2020. Possible explanations for this are the need for police officers to rest after the large-scale deployment during the onset of the pandemic and the high demand for police deployment due to other social developments.

Speeding offences

Most traffic fines were imposed for speeding: 2,514,616 in the second four-month period of 2021, compared with 2,225,014 in the same period of the previous year. The majority of these offences were detected with digital enforcement equipment using number plate recognition technology. In May–August 2021, 1,102,470 speeding offences were detected by speed cameras, 849,545 by average speed check systems and 512,277 by mobile radar equipment.

The number of offences detected by average speed check systems increased from 670,448 last year to 849,545 this year. This is partly explained by the fact that there are more of these systems in operation. Compared with the same period last year, 16 additional average speed check systems are in operation on N roads. These are provincial roads where relatively many accidents occur due to speeding. 

Foreign-based traffic offenders

In the second four-month period of 2021, 330,867 traffic fines were sent to foreign-based traffic offenders, which is lower than the 339,876 sent in the same period in 2020.

* 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).