Police issue over eighty fines from coach
A traffic check in The Hague focused mainly on drivers holding their phones.
Police issued more than eighty fines during an enforcement day in the The Hague region. Of these, 55 were for holding a mobile device while driving.
The check took place on Monday 5 October from a coach. From the higher seating position, officers could look into cars, vans and lorries, then deploy follow-up cars or motorcycle officers to pull drivers over safely.
The fine for holding a mobile electronic device while driving is €440. Police also reported twelve fines for speeding offences and fifteen official reports for other offences, including driving on the hard shoulder, defective air suspension and driving without a licence.
The driving licences of two drivers were confiscated. Three drivers will also be required to complete an Educational Behaviour and Traffic Measure. This CBR programme is intended for drivers whose behaviour on the road gives cause for additional guidance or investigation.
The check was part of the European ROADPOL week Focus on the road. In several countries, additional checks are carried out that week for distraction caused by phones and other electronic equipment. The Hague police say the check is held annually.
Police link the number of fines to the risk of distraction in traffic. According to police, anyone looking at a screen while driving may notice changes on the road too late. Police therefore urge drivers to set their navigation in advance, disable notifications and keep their phone out of reach.
The check says nothing about the total number of traffic offences in the Netherlands. It is a snapshot of one enforcement day in one police unit. The action does, however, confirm that enforcement from high vehicles remains a permanent part of the traffic-safety strategy.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- More than eighty fines were issued during a single enforcement day in The Hague.
- Most of the fines concerned holding a mobile device while driving.
- The fine is €440.
Left
Arguments Enforcement is necessary for road safety, but high fixed fines can hit people on low incomes disproportionately hard. Prevention, safe infrastructure and better alternatives to using phones therefore deserve equal attention.
Values Equality, road safety and proportionality.
Consequences An exclusively punitive approach may lose public support and affect people on lower incomes relatively more heavily.
Centre
Arguments A combination of information, technology and targeted enforcement is the most defensible approach. Police must be able to act where dangerous behaviour demonstrably occurs, while allowing room for objections and independent review.
Values Effectiveness, legal certainty and practicality.
Consequences Targeted checks can reduce distraction without treating every driver as a potential offender.
Right
Arguments Anyone who knowingly holds a phone behind the wheel endangers others and must accept a firm consequence. Responsibility lies primarily with the driver, not the government.
Values Personal responsibility, order and deterrence.
Consequences Visible checks and high fines can change behaviour more quickly, but they do require consistent enforcement.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key facts were confirmed directly by the police and correspond with information from the Public Prosecution Service on traffic fines. The text makes clear that this concerned a single enforcement day.
- confirmed Police issued more than eighty fines during the check. — Reported by police concerning the enforcement day on 5 October. source
- confirmed 55 fines concerned holding a mobile device. — Stated in the official police statement. source
- confirmed The fine for this offence is €440. — Mentioned by police; the Public Prosecution Service refers to the current fine database. source
- confirmed The check was part of a European ROADPOL week. — Mentioned in the police statement. source
Editor's note
The figures and fine amount come from the police statement. No national comparison of this specific enforcement day is available.Sources
- Politie controleert vanuit touringcar: 55 bekeuringen voor mobiel apparaat achter het stuur — Politie
- Verkeersboete — Openbaar Ministerie
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „verkeer verkeersveiligheid”
- Het Parool — „verkeer verkeersveiligheid”
- Trouw — „verkeer verkeersveiligheid”