Well over 2.6 million traffic offences in the first four months of 2023
Records show that there were 2,662,482 traffic offences in the first four months of 2023. These included speeding, illegal parking/stopping, use of a handheld mobile phone while driving, a failure to wear a helmet and having no bicycle lights. Compared to the same period last year, this represents an increase of 9.1 percent. Back then, 2,440,672 traffic fines were imposed on the grounds of the Traffic Regulations (Administrative Enforcement) Act (Wet administratiefrechtelijke handhaving verkeersvoorschriften, Wahv). This was evident from the first four-monthly summary of traffic fines of 2023*.
An increase in the number of detected traffic offences on the grounds of the Wahv is also reflected in, for example, the registration number-based offences. There were 2,429,657 in the first four months of this year, compared to 2,294,041 in the same period last year.
During the first four months of 2023 a total of 925,490 speeding offences were detected using speeding cameras, compared to 918,035 in 2022. That is an increase of 0.8%. The number of speeding offences detected using mobile radar speed guns rose by 3.5%, from 438,881 speeding fines in the first four months of 2022 to 454,284 this year. The number of detected speeding offences using section control systems declined from 586,058 in the first four months of 2022 to 580,290 this year.
The number of people stopped increased from 146,631 in the first four months of 2022 to 232,825 in the same period in 2023. This is partly a consequence of priority decisions by local authorities and police in terms of specific use of capacity.
There was also a significant increase in the 'other' category. Since 1 January 2023 anyone riding a light moped has been required to wear a helmet and this resulted in 4,129 fines being handed out in the first four months of 2023. Riders of more powerful mopeds received 27,612 fines in the first four months of 2023.
There was also a striking increase in the number of people being fined for not having bicycle lights with 20,656 fines being imposed during the first four months of 2023, compared to 10,609 fines the previous year. There was also an increase in the number of offences relating to people who ignored road closures and illegally drove into a road. This was particularly the case in towns and cities. A total of 41,213 fines were imposed during the first four months of 2023 in relation to the offence of 'a driver (which also includes, for example, cyclists) ignoring a road closure in both directions', compared to 10,749 fines during the same period last year. A total of 37,947 fines were imposed during the first four months of 2023 in relation to the offence of 'ignoring a road closure exclusively for motor vehicles', compared to 14,897 fines during the same period in 2022.