Speed check locations to double in the Netherlands
By Simone Jacobs
The number of locations where speed cameras are placed in the Netherlands to catch drivers travelling over the speed limit will be doubled this year. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) is also increasing the number of speed cameras.
The Netherlands to place speed cameras in more locations
The Netherlands currently has 650 locations across the country where speed cameras can be placed. This year, the OM is set to more than double this number to 1.450 as part of the “largest expansion of automated enforcement tools in years”, according to NOS.
Not only will speed check locations be increased, but more speed cameras will also be used. 10 more focus cameras that can detect the use of mobile phones while driving will be added, bringing the total to 50. The number of portable speed cameras, also known as flex cameras, will also rise from 75 to 120.
Focus cameras and flex cameras are usually moved to different speed check locations every two months. The OM wants to try out faster rotations to keep drivers on their toes. Changing the locations of speed cameras has been shown to lead to better compliance with traffic rules, reports NU.nl.
Adding more speed cameras takes pressure off Dutch police
More municipalities are lowering maximum speed limits in city centres from 50 kilometres per hour (km/h) to 30 km/h, a speed limit which many drivers do not adhere to. The Public Prosecution Service is going to help with this by providing more portable speed cameras.
The OM is also launching a trial using average speed checks within built-up areas, which it will introduce in more locations if it proves successful in reducing traffic violations. The hope is that this speed camera expansion will allow police to “focus more on situations where human intervention truly adds value, such as repeat offenders who are often involved in serious accidents”, said the OM head of police and strategy, Marc Pluimers.
The traffic fine for using a mobile phone while driving costs motorists 440 euros, excluding the 9 euro administration fee. Speeding fines in the Netherlands can cost anywhere from 34 euros to 488 euros.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more