7.779.461 traffic violations were found in 2020 on the basis of the Traffic Regulations (Administrative Law Enforcement) Act (Wahv). That is less than a year earlier, when 8.369.480 traffic fines were imposed for, among other things, speeding, driving through red lights and handheld calling. This is evident from the annual overview Wahv 2020 *. The decrease will be partly because last year there was on average less traffic on the road since the government's call in mid-March 2020 to stay at home as much as possible due to corona.
The decrease in the number of traffic fines can mainly be attributed to fewer traffic violations on the basis of the Wahv: 7.223.157 in 2020, against 7.838.782 a year earlier. On the other hand, the number of traffic fines after a stop rose last year from 530.698 in 2019 to 556.304 in 2020. The increase in the number of stops can be partly explained by the increased use of the police on traffic violations, such as speeding, ignoring a red traffic light and distraction by, for example, telephone use. The police also indicated that they are concentrating more on traffic behavior and excessive offenses, because the corona measures have resulted in fewer planned and thematic traffic controls.
Phone usage
The number of fines for holding and using mobile phones has shown a striking increase. Last year, 168.034 fines were issued for this, against 121.364 in 2019. Since last year, this has also been monitored with cameras in traffic, but seen throughout the year, the majority of these fines were still imposed after arrest. The growth can now mainly be attributed to infringements found for keeping mobile phones in hand while cycling; this as a result of the stricter legislation as of 1 July 2019 with regard to handheld telephone use. In the months of July to December 2019, this involved 21.327 fines, against 47.955 for the whole of 2020.
Speeding
Most traffic fines were imposed for speeding: 6.364.857 in 2020, against 6.833.365 a year earlier. Most of these traffic offenses are detected with digital enforcement tools on license plates. In 2020, 2.803.661 speeding fines were imposed after a speed camera check, compared to 3.478.825 in 2019. 1.476.304 speeding offenses using mobile radar sets were also detected, compared to 1.443.782 a year earlier.
There is a slight increase in the number of detected speeding offenses with section control systems. Last year, 18 section controls were added on N roads. These are provincial roads where a relatively large number of accidents occur because of speeding. The total number of speeding offenses observed during section controls rose from 1.832.599 in 2019 to 1.963.918 last year.
Foreign traffic offenders
In 2020, of the traffic fines imposed, 870.695 fines were sent to a foreign traffic offender, against 1.000.460 a year earlier. From December 2019, Cyprus, Denmark and Greece will also be connected to the automated exchange of vehicle registration data based on the European Cross Border Enforcement (CBE) directive. This means that drivers from these countries automatically receive a fine at home if they have committed a traffic offense in the Netherlands that has been established with a digital enforcement tool. This reports the National government on their website.
* The overview of the traffic fines under the Administrative Law Enforcement Traffic Regulations Act (Wahv), or Mulder Act, is compiled by the Ministry of Justice and Security, National Police, the CJIB and the Public Prosecution Service (OM).
Also read: More than 37 percent of the foreign fines remain unpaid
