QUESTION ANSWER‘Why aren’t apps like Flitsmeister, which warn about speed traps, banned in the Netherlands?’ asks reader Arnold van der Spek in the question & answer section of our car editors. ‘That is the case in other countries.’
Auto editor Niek Schenk replies: ‘According to the Dutch authorities, it is not a goal to collect as many speeding tickets as possible with speed controls. The aim is to make traffic as safe as possible. The Public Prosecution Service in our country has therefore already stated that these services ultimately also contribute to road safety, because they simply help motorists to comply with the speed limit.
This is often thought differently abroad. There, policymakers see these types of apps as instruments that make the work of the police impossible. If you use a speed camera in Germany and are caught by the police, you risk a fine of 75 euros. In France you can even get a fine of no less than 1500 euros.
A service like TomTom has solved the problem in Germany by automatically turning off the notifications in that country. In France, TomTom evades the ban by only indicating ‘danger zones’, not the exact locations of the speed cameras there.’
Our car editor Niek Schenk answers reader questions every week. Mail your question to auto@dpgmedia.nl
More questions and answers can be found in our file.
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