Netherlands to implement points system for unsafe driving
The police and judiciary are going to implement a points system for unsafe driving. Anyone caught using their phone, being intoxicated, or otherwise being unsafe behind the wheel will get a penalty point. Drivers with enough points will go on a repeat offender list and will be monitored more closely, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) and the Ministry of Justice and Security told RTL Nieuws.
The penalty point system is a new attempt to stop persistent repeat offenders in traffic. The authorities have been struggling with a growing group of drivers who seem to pay no heed to fines or driving bans.
Anyone caught by a police officer committing a traffic violation, such as texting while driving or not wearing a seatbelt, will get one penalty point on top of a fine. For serious violations or crimes, where people have to answer to the OM or court, two or three penalty points will apply. This includes things like causing a serious accident, driving under the influence, or driving without a license.
Violations registered by speed cameras will not count toward the penalty point system. If you get six penalty points in a year, you will be placed on a list of repeat offenders and subject to closer monitoring. The Ministry is also considering introducing an extra CBR course.
RTL Nieuws analyzed figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and concluded that around 30,000 road users per year will end up on the repeat offenders list. Last year, 29,720 people would have received six or more points.
According ot the broadcaster, these repeat offenders are predominantly relatively well-off young men. Last year, only 5 percent were women. Two-thirds (64 percent) had no problematic debts. 43 percent were between the ages of 25 and 45, and 34 percent were aged 18 to 25. Twelve percent were under the age of 18.
“Research shows that people who regularly do not follow the rules are often responsible for accidents,” Achilles Damen, a traffic prosecutor at the OM, told RTL Nieuws. He believes the point system will help to punish these repeat offenders “faster and more targeted.”
“We would rather not have those people on the road, because they simply cause road unsafety,” said Frits Lindeman, the police’s traffic project leader. The penalty point system will help better identify the group of repeat offenders and tackle them in a “targeted manner,” he said.
According to Lindeman, what exactly that approach will look like is still a subject of discussion. “In any case, we are going to actively seek them out.”
