“Not a Good Reason”
Questions are again being raised about the increase in fines for minor traffic violations. Next year, those fines should increase 10 percent by outgoing Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz, but the Council of State does not agree with her reason for this.
Outgoing Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz is making fines for minor traffic violations 10 percent more expensive next year to close budget gaps. The VVD party leader previously reported this in a letter to the House of Representatives. “Not a good reason”, the Council of State ruled in its advice. According to the important cabinet advisor, the fines are intended to make traffic safer. “The amount of the fine must therefore also be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the traffic violation,” the advisory body said. The Council of State wants the effects of the higher fines to be investigated first. If these do not improve road safety, she advises not to increase the fine amount.
By increasing the fines, Yeşilgöz also goes against a previously published report by the Public Prosecution Service. It states that the traffic fines for minor offenses such as driving through a red light and serious offenses such as driving under the influence of alcohol do not vary enough and are therefore out of balance. The Public Prosecution Service therefore advocates increasing the fines for more serious violations, or reducing the amount for minor traffic violations, or a combination of the two.
Despite this advice, the government is currently sticking to the 10 percent increase for minor traffic violations. The Council of State agrees with the Public Prosecution Service and asks for an explanation that makes it clear that the fine amounts “are related to each other”. If this is not possible, the advisory body believes that the fines for minor traffic violations should not be increased. The Public Prosecution Service even advocated reducing the fines for certain violations by 30 percent.
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