First there’s that damned CJIB envelope that ruins your mood. Then it takes nerve-wracking seconds to open it and see the amount of the ticket. You can still shout so loud that the police better catch crooks, you will pay. So maybe you don’t want to know these facts about the past and present of traffic fines.
By far the most Dutch traffic violations are for speeding: no less than 81.3 percent!
The ‘honour’ for the development of the first speed camera goes to the Dutchman Maus Gatsonides. He didn’t think of it to teach speeding drivers a lesson, but as a rally driver he wanted a reliable speedometer. His company Gatsometer started building speed cameras, in England the speed camera is also called Gatsu camera. to be gatsood means to be flashed.
The first speed camera could only measure whether you were driving through a red light and was located in Haarlem.
In 1980 the first speed check took place via radar. So much equipment was needed that it had to be built into a car. Two years later it was already possible to flash a mobile device along the road, in 1988 the infamous speed camera followed.
The first speed camera in Belgium was installed in 1994.
Pay attention when you turn onto the A12 at the Goudse Poort, the most active speed camera in the Netherlands is located here (17,256 times between May and August 2021).
The highest (income-related) speeding fine ever was issued in Switzerland. A rich Swede who drove 170 km/h too fast in his Mercedes SLS AMG had to pay 720,000 euros in 2018. Also in September 2021 there was commotion in Switzerland, a woman drove 93 km/h where 50 km/h was allowed and received a voucher of 175,000 euros.
The fines have been increased again for 2022. If you drive 4 km/h too fast, you pay 29 euros (inside the built-up area), 26 euros (outside) or 22 euros (motorway). At 30 km/h too fast, this has already risen to 352 euros (inside built-up areas), 335 euros (outside) and 308 euros (motorway).
If you speed 50 km/h or more, the police can confiscate your driver’s license. After that you are not allowed to drive any motor vehicle, not even a tractor.
Playing with your phone will cost 350 euros from next year (increase of 100 euros).
Some cases are actually less severely punished. Parking in a disabled spot, for example (from 400 to 310 euros). If you are caught making unnecessary noise, you pay 250 instead of 400 euros.