Speed camera marathon across Europe: take it easy on your vacation, including in the Netherlands
Sure, you’d rather hit the gas pedal a little more. But that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do right now, during this flash marathon.
Flash marathon as a kind of cat-and-mouse game
Indeed, from today, Aug. 5, through Aug. 11, it is once again time for the annual speed camera marathon. Or as the police themselves call it, European speed control week. That sounds less exciting, but it amounts to the same thing. Throughout Europe, thousands of officers are on standby this week to hunt down speeders in dozens of countries. Including you, should you feel up to it.
The action is part of ROADPOL, a European police collective with 29 member countries, which values road safety. This time, they are pushing hard. More than 15,000 officers are checking for speed this week. So they are not exactly on vacation. There is even one day when they will be checking for speed non-stop for 24 hours. “What day?”, we hear you ask for a friend. If only we knew…
Why the flash marathon?
According to police, speeding continues to be one of the biggest contributors to traffic fatalities. Fair is fair, speeding may seem harmless, but when it goes wrong, it often goes badly wrong. Moreover, it turns out that not all of us keep neatly to the speed limit, even in the Netherlands. During the speed camera marathon last August, at least 23,000 speeders were fined in les Pays Bas.
Money better spent
The amounts for a speeding ticket quickly add up in the Netherlands. If you drive 10 km/h faster than allowed outside built-up areas, it will cost you 87 euros. But, if you drive twice as fast, i.e., 20 km/h, then you pay almost triple: 237 euros. Ka-ching.
Different amounts apply abroad. For example, you pay 20 euros for speeding 10 km/h on the highway in Germany, but if you then make the same mistake in Switzerland, you pay 64 euros. Enneh, driving through a red light does not make much sense in the green Swiss landscape, because that will cost you at least 268 euros inside the built-up area and 289 euros outside it. Surely money we would spend differently in this Alpine country.
Latest tip from us
Therefore, the message for this week is simple: stick to the speed limit. On the road, it is advisable to turn on your navigation to stay aware of the prevailing speed in a changing environment. Because, especially the speed cameras in quiet places can be real cash-cows.
This way you avoid fines and thus an unnecessarily expensive vacation. More importantly, you will arrive at your destination in one piece. So, don’t step on the gas pedal so hard, even if you only have two hours to spare and would have liked to be there long ago. Your vacation began when you drove out of the street. You don’t have to relax when you arrive at the campsite.