Knowledge base
- Developments
- Sustainable Safety
- Road safety policy
- Modes of transport
- High-risk groups
- High-risk behaviour
- Measures
- Data sources
- Ownership and use of commercial vehicles (CBS)
- Population of the municipalities in the Netherlands (CBS)
- Causes of Death (CBS)
- Use of protection devices
- International Road Traffic and Accident Database IRTAD
- IIS (Injury Surveillance System)
- National Medical Registration (LMR)
- National Road Database (NRD)
- Injuries and Physical Activities in the Netherlands (OBiN)
- National Travel Survey (NTS)
- Car Panel PAP (CBS)
- Periodic Regional Road Safety Survey (PRRSS)
- Survey of drinking and driving in the Netherlands
- Speed measuring on motorways
- Road Statistics (CBS)
- Motor Vehicle Statistics (CBS)
- Passenger Traffic Statistics (CBS)
- Road crash registration (BRON)
- Traffic Offences
Available data
The number of traffic offences can be an indication of road users’ behaviour. However, it is very much influenced by the police’s enforcement efforts.
Many offences are regarded as small transgressions which can be dealt with administratively without going to court. Since 1990, this has been arranged by the Administrative Enforcement of Traffic Offences Law (WAHV, also known as the ‘Mulder Law’).
This law regulates which less serious offences can be settled administratively. This is done by the Centraal Justitieel Incasso Bureau (CJIB), that is part of the Ministry of Justice Directorate-General Prevention, Youth, and Sanctions.
The execution of these sanctions begins by delivering the details of traffic offences that have been ascertained by the Police or the RDW Vehicle Technology and Information Centre (c. 25,000 cases of driving uninsured).
These electronically delivered details form the basis of dispositions that are automatically produced and sent to those involved.
In 2002, 9.5 million administrative sanctions were imposed. This is an increase of 0.3 million (3.6%) in comparison with 2001. In 2001, 9.2 million sanctions were imposed; an increase of more than 1.4 million (18%) in comparison with 2000. Nearly three-quarters were fines for speeding. The increase was the result of intensive police surveillance, especially along motorways. Road safety was not the main reason for this, but the government had decided to fine speeding heavily because of pollution issues. The numbers presented are not so much an indicator of the real number of offences, but rather of the enforcement efforts by the police.
The figures show that the average exceeding of the speed limit has a decreasing trend. This can be seen from the decrease of the initial fine of €41.39 in 1998 to €40.17 in 2000.
The higher the speed limit the lower the number of speeding offences. 52% of the offences were on 30 and 50 km/h roads. No correction has been made for road length or the number of camera positions on the roads.
Most of the speeding offences involved exceeding the speed limit by few kms/hour. More than 60% were in the range of 1-10 km/h., 20% in the range 11-15 km/h., and 10% in the range 16-20 km/h.