Phone behind the wheel? From today you can be flashed with a focus flash

Behind the wheel in the car, whatsapping, not hands-free calling or perhaps scrolling through Spotify or social media? It is not allowed and from today drivers can be flashed for it by a focus flash.

We are quite attached to our phones. That is not always good for road safety. Using your phone while driving is not the intention at all. Nowadays, it can earn you a hefty fine: 430 euros to be precise. This first focus flash can detect that even better.

Today, there is such a speed camera at the Ypenburgse Stationsweg in The Hague. And also in Utrecht, while other locations in the Netherlands follow.

The camera in this speed camera can detect whether someone is holding a phone. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) started testing the focus flash earlier this year, and from today people can actually be flashed.

Fifty focus flashes will rotate through the Netherlands, according to the Public Prosecution Service. They will mainly be placed on N-roads and on busy roads within villages and cities. The speed camera is easy to move and can therefore be used in many places in the country.

The Public Prosecution Service points to a 2024 study by the Foundation for Scientific Research on Road Safety (SWOV), which shows that 75 percent of road users sometimes sit on the road with their mobile phone in their hand. According to the Public Prosecution Service, that percentage is far too high.

Since February, the fines have increased again. All fines are 3.2 percent higher than before compared to last year; about 10 euros. That may not sound overwhelming, but the prices of traffic fines increase a lot every year.

Which traffic fines are currently quite expensive? Metro previously listed them for you.

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