In the first ten months of this year, more than 1,400 people were injured in traffic and had to be taken to hospital. 58 road users were killed. Police Haarlem therefore announces the ‘week of distraction’, against texting and calling drivers.
And that turns out to be necessary: according to the OM there is distraction in 20 to 30 percent of all traffic accidents. There are at least hundreds of casualties every year due to the use of mobile phones in traffic.
242 additional fines
It is not the first time that the police have acted on this problem. Earlier this year the police in our region also organized such a week. This then resulted in quite a bit of extra fine. Only two days were needed to hand out 242 more fines with special checks. That led to a total of 897 fines for telephone use in one week.
The action is not just about texts and calls, any form of distraction is punishable. You can also get into trouble with operating a navigation system.
Text continues.
Coach
These extra checks are carried out from a coach, in order to have a better look inside the motorists. In addition, a bus is also less noticeable than a police car. North Holland is not the only province where this method is used, last week the police in Brabant and Zeeland also boarded a coach. There, 259 fines were issued within one day.
Traffic offenders are not apprehended directly from the coach. Several police officers drive around the bus in cars and motorcycles to take immediate action. In this way, the Haarlem police hopes to immediately get through to the apping motorists.