Not paying attention and driving too fast? Before you know it, speeding fines will be on your doorstep. Fines are, of course, very annoying and you often have to dig deep into your pockets for them. However, there is good news, because objecting to speeding fines is always possible. In this article we explain how to proceed and how external parties can help you. And the best part is that it is free of charge for you, so it is definitely worth a try!

I have received a speeding fine, what should I do?

objection to speeding fineIf you speeding fines on the mat then, of course, it is something not to be happy about. You may not even be aware of the offence because you were not behind the wheel when you committed the speeding offence. However, there is little you can do about this because the law states that the owner of the car must pay the traffic fine must pay. This is called licence plate liability. Hopefully you know who committed the offence, so that you can approach them and ask them to pay the fine.

What are the fines for speeding?

Looking purely at exceeding the speed limit, fines are divided into the following categories:

  1. Violating the speed limit in built-up areas
  2. Exceeding the speed limit outside built-up areas
  3. Exceeding the speed limit on motorways

The exact amount of the fines can vary from year to year. The public prosecutor's office publishes the new tariffs annually on their website so that you can calculate for yourself how high the fine will be.

Can I object?

Yes, definitely! In principle, you can always try to object to the speed penalty. You can do this within 6 weeks after the date on which the fine was sent. You can send the letter to the public prosecutor, but nowadays there are also many companies that specialise in making objections against speeding fines. These companies have a lot of experience in making objections and therefore know all the ins and outs. In most cases, these mediators do not ask for a fee and they submit the objection for you free of charge. If they are successful, they receive a fee from the court and are thus still paid. If they are unsuccessful, there is no fee, but in that case the mediator bears the risk and you do not have to pay extra. We think that is a fair and good deal here at Autobaak!

How long will the decision on the objection take?

There are a lot of fines issued and you will understand that the speed fines department is very busy. Especially since the speed limit has been lowered! So it may take some time before you get an answer, according to the CJIB it can take up to 16 weeks. After this, a visit to the court will follow for the final decision. If the objection has been lodged on time and you have received a letter from the mediator/judiciary confirming the decision, the fine is actually on hold and you have to wait for further news. The ball is then no longer in your court and you can wait it out.

Purely for our curiosity, we took a look at the number of speeding fines per year. On the website of the Rijksoverheid the following can be read:

Most traffic fines are imposed for speeding: 6,364,857 in 2020. Most of these traffic violations are detected with digital enforcement tools by license plate. In 2020, 2,803,661 speeding fines were imposed after being checked using a speed camera. In addition, 1,476,304 speeding violations were detected using mobile radar equipment. The total number of speeding violations detected at section controls has risen to 1,963,918.

Does objecting to a speeding fine have any chance of success?

What we have read is that it is certainly useful to object to speeding fines. If we may believe the statistics, one third of all traffic fines that are objected to are imposed unjustly. If the letter from the CJIB falls on your doorstep, there is a 1 in 3 chance that you will be able to successfully contest the fine. If you also know that objecting to the fine is free of charge, we would certainly advise you to take a chance and to call in the help of a party such as Boete Juristen.

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