On flitspalen.nl He cannot be seen this Tuesday, and Flitsmeister or Navigation app Waze does not yet warn about it. But he is indeed there, in The Hague, between Madurodam and the Indian monument: the first so -called focus flash, a new type of speed camera that assesses whether the driver holds a phone.
In the presence of Minister David van Weel (Justice and Security, VVD), the first of fifty ‘smart’ speed cameras was put into operation on Monday. The photo is taken via the windshield of an approaching car. Thanks to the high position, the camera is also visible when someone has a phone on their lap.
An algorithm determines whether that seems to be the case and automatically sends the images to the Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB) in Leeuwarden, where a BOA assesses the images. If there is a violation in his idea, a fine follows, since 1 February 430 euros. The posts, of which more will be placed in changing locations in the coming weeks, are still working on trial. It is not expected that the first fines will be issued until April.
Hands -free calling is allowed
According to the Road Traffic Act, it has been forbidden since 2002 to “hold a mobile electronic device” while driving. Nevertheless, according to figures from the Public Prosecution Service, 75 percent of motorists sins against this. Hands -free calling, with the phone in a fixed holder, is allowed. VideoBellen is not explicitly prohibited. The focus flash units are part of a package ‘more intensive enforcement agents’ for which the previous cabinet spent nearly 63 million euros for this year.
They are a supplement to existing enforcement, including by agents in unrecognizable vehicles and – since 2021 – with the so -called Monocam, a mobile camera that allows photos to be taken from approaching cars from viaducts.
They also work with an algorithm, albeit not flawless. Known is the case of Tim Hanssen, an IT person, who was fined in November 2023 because he was flashed with a telephone on his ear. In reality, he only scratched his head, he wrote on his blog shortly thereafterwith the flash photo. Hanssen, himself specialist in the field of algorithms that analyze images, explains in his blog how such a ‘False Positive’ can arise.
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Faces Blurren
At some locations, including highways, there are so-called ANPR cameras (from Automatic Number Plate Recognition), who register all license plates of passing cars. This allows speeding violations to be determined during route controls, among other things. In 2021 reported NRC That faces of occupants were also automatically scanned without a legal basis. Since 2022, faces on ANPR cameras have been automatically blowned at traffic violations (vaguely made).
With the focus flash, Blurren would make it impossible to determine a violation. A spokesperson for the OM confirms that in some photos the face of the driver is visible to the CJIB assessor and stored. The driver, at least the license plate holder, will be notified. If the CJIB does not determine a violation, the photo is destroyed.