Last year, by far the most fines were issued for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the municipality of Oostzaan, more than in the rest of the Netherlands. But that municipality is not the only one that scores high in this ranking. In the municipalities of Schagen and Zandvoort, many more drivers are also caught under the influence than average. What is going on there?
The municipality where the most fines for driving under the influence were issued is Oostzaan. There, 119.4 fines were issued for this crime per 10,000 inhabitants. For comparison: the national average is 28.4. Other North Holland municipalities also score high:
- Schagen: 60.1 fines per 10,000 inhabitants
- Zandvoort: 53.5 fines per 10,000 inhabitants
- Laren: 51.7 fines per 10,000 inhabitants
- Zaanstad: 47.8 fines per 10,000 inhabitants
- Gooise Meren: 45.3 fines per 10,000 inhabitants
Many more fines than before corona
Across the Netherlands, 42,799 fines for driving under the influence were issued by the police in 2023. That is a lot more than before corona: in 2019 there were around 32,500. Almost a third more.
In North Holland the increase was even greater. Compared to 2019, 45.6 percent more fines for driving under the influence were issued in our province.
Please note: these figures do not mean that these drink or drug drivers also come from North Holland. This concerns the municipality where the fine was issued. An example: if someone from the municipality of Utrecht gets behind the wheel while drinking and is stopped in Hilversum, that fine will be counted in Hilversum.
In the map below, created by Independentyou can see how many fines have been issued for driving under the influence in your municipality. Text continues
But what do these numbers actually mean? That is quite nuanced, says police spokesperson Roderick de Veen. “The A8 runs through Oostzaan. We often do checks there. It is just a very large, busy road. There are also gas stations next to the road where checks are carried out. It is a logical place to stop people.” According to the spokesperson, Oostzaan also stands out in these figures because relatively few people live there, which distorts the picture.
The same applies to the Noordkop. “There are also major arterial roads there, with the A7, N242 and the N9. There are a lot of people driving, so more people are caught behind the wheel while drinking or taking drugs.”
Spearhead
According to De Veen, the enormous increase in the number of fines can be explained by the fact that the police in North Holland have made tackling driving under the influence a spearhead. “The number of traffic deaths in the area of the North Holland unit (without Amsterdam, ed.) was alarmingly high in 2022, with 67 traffic deaths. We have said: we are going to carry out stricter and more checks, that number of deaths must be reduced. Because it is often alcohol or drugs are involved in a fatal accident.”
“What people need to remember is that you can be monitored 24 hours a day,” the police spokesperson continues. “For example, we often conduct checks on Monday morning. People are still under the influence of the weekend.” De Veen is referring to people who used drugs on Saturday or Sunday. “It is not large amounts in your blood, but it certainly affects your driving behavior.”
The police see a cautious decrease in the number of traffic fatalities before 2023. According to the latest figures, 50 traffic fatalities occurred in the area of the North Holland unit last year. “But it is still too early to say anything with certainty about the effect of the additional checks.”
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