Sometimes you have to respond to a text right away, we get that. However, if you need to respond to a text while riding your bike, we would advise against it, as over 9.200 cyclists have been fined for using their phones while cycling.
The ban on using phones while cycling was introduced on July 1, this year and according to the Justice Ministry’s figures, over 9.200 cyclists have already been fined. Cyclists who break this rule and use a phone without hands-free equipment, risk facing a fine of 95 euros plus administration costs.
The ban is primarily aimed at young people, mostly between the ages of 18 and 24. It is reported that three-quarters of this demographic either sometimes or regularly look at their phone while cycling. Students from Deventer say that they are looking out for authorities now, but only to prevent being fined.
This year, the police issued around 2,8 million traffic fines between May 1 and August 31. This is a drop from last year, where police issued around 3,2 million fines during the same time period. Speeding is still the most common traffic violation, with around 2,5 million fines issued. Although the number of traffic fines has dropped, the number of fines for using a mobile phone both while cycling and driving has almost doubled, from 23.000 to 44.000.