Bro, sit down and hold on tight, because what I found out today from the guys at Fane made my jaw drop! Look, in the Netherlands, on the A16 highway near Rotterdam, there's a fixed radar that issued over 48,000 fines in 2025. The most productive in the whole country, bro! I mean, dude, can you imagine how much money they made off drivers' backs? If we put one of those on the A1, maybe the EU would pay for our highway all the way to Iași.
And it's not just one, boss. In the whole Netherlands, in 2025, they gave out 2,709,237 fines for speeding and running red lights. That's 534,000 fewer than the previous year, a drop of 16.5%. But wait, it's not all rosy: on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland, fines exploded by 26,000, and in Gulpen-Wittem and Groningen they increased by thousands. That's how it is, man, when you replace radars, some work, others don't.
Now, here's the crazy part: the province of South Holland leads by far, with 844,407 fines – almost a third of the total. Rotterdam is the champion of sanctions, with 156,426, followed by The Hague (104,676) and Amsterdam (104,177). In Drenthe and Friesland, they barely reach half of those numbers. Of course, it's quiet there, not like in the city, where the police chase you like they chase me in Berceni.
And now, the coolest part: the drop in fines isn't because drivers have calmed down, but because the Dutch replaced old radars. During the work, many radars were turned off, and thousands of drivers got off scot-free. The state lost millions of euros, but at least the poor man caught a break. In Rotterdam, fines were cut in half, but the city still remains in first place. It's the same with us – if you don't stop at the red light, you're in trouble.
Experts say a speeding fine isn't just a loss: in case of serious speeding, insurance can be increased or even denied. And that's how you lose your swagger on the road. In the Netherlands, the police increasingly use mobile radars and smart cameras, frequently moved, which also check for phone use while driving. So, if you're like me and you scroll through TikTok in traffic, keep your eyes peeled!
Alright, I'm off to check if Mioara hasn't put a radar in front of my building, because since I heard about so many sanctions, I feel like leaving the BMW at home and taking the subway.
