Dutch gov't again hikes traffic fines; Increasing by €10 in most cases

Traffic fines will again increase next year, the government announced. The fines for most violations will be 10 euros higher than this year. Speeding fines, which are progressive, will be up to 15 euros higher.

The highest fine next year will be for parking in a disabled parking space without the necessary permit. That will cost you 500 euros, 10 euros more than this year. Holding a phone while driving will get you a fine of 430 euros next year, also 10 euros higher.

Overtaking on the right, skipping a red light, blocking an intersection, or failing to give way to traffic from the right at an intersection will also cost you a hefty sum of 310 euros—a 10 euros increase in all four cases.

All fines come with an additional 9 euros in administration costs. Late payment is really inadvisable—fines increase by 50 percent after the first warning and by 100 percent after the second.

This year, traffic fines already increased 10 percent, partly to fill gaps in the Ministry of Justice and Security’s budget. The Council of State advised against it, and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) argued for a 30 percent reduction. The OM pointed out that the fines for some minor traffic violations were higher than for some serious crimes, warning that people would stop paying fines if they don’t make sense.

So far, that hasn’t happened. The Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB) reported that 84 percent of fines are paid on time.