The number of fines issued for holding a phone or electronic device while driving or cycling rose sharply last year. According to the Centraal Justitieel Incassobureau (CJIB), authorities issued 248,020 fines for distracted driving in 2025. This figure marks a significant increase from the 165,408 penalties recorded in 2024.
The CJIB and the national government emphasised that traffic distraction poses a major risk to road safety. Consequently, they plan to increase enforcement throughout 2026. This strategy includes deploying more “focus cameras,” which officials first introduced in 2025. These specialised cameras can automatically detect whether a driver is holding a mobile device.
Despite the rise in distraction-related penalties, the total number of traffic fines actually fell last year. Total notices dropped from 7.9 million in 2024 to just over 7.5 million in 2025. The CJIB attributes this overall decline primarily to a reduction in speeding tickets, which fell by approximately half a million.
While speeding violations decreased, other categories showed different trends. Fines for running red lights remained stable compared to previous years. However, the number of recorded parking violations increased across the country.
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