Estonian police offer ‘road breaks’ for first-time speeders

Police in Estonia have been offering drivers caught speeding with a choice between taking a break from the road instead of paying a fine.
October 30, 2019 Read time: 1 min

A report by ERR.ee says drivers exceeding the speed limit by 20 km/h must wait 45 minutes in a parking area next to the road and 60 minutes if they drive between 21 and 40 km/h over the limit.

The method only applied to drivers with no previous traffic offences travelling on the Tallinn-Rapla road.

Spokesperson Elari Kasemets is quoted as saying: "We are investigating how speeders perceive the fine and the impact of the lost time. We know from interviews with motorists that some people consider having a conversation with a police officer and the time they take to intervene more effectively than fines."

"We are analysing the impact of different interventions to find more effective solutions, because the goal is for perpetrators to actually change their behaviour, not to punish them for the sake of punishment," Kasemets adds.

Enforcement

Related Content

  • Vendor's eye view of US economic stimulus programme
    March 12, 2012
    Pete Goldin explores the impact of the US economic stimulus programme on the ITS industry from the ITS vendor perspective
    Read More
  • Use of ITS technology grows more prevalent in safety applications
    January 30, 2012
    Transportation agencies and governments are using ITS technology to protect critical infrastructure from terrorist attack and other threats to economic security and public safety. Andrew Bardin Williams reports. It is no secret that we live in a potentially dangerous world. Terrorism as seen on 9/11 in the United States, subsequent attacks in London, Moscow and Madrid and other acts of violence across the developing world have made vigilance the watchword for ensuring security. Key infrastructure is now bei
    Read More
  • Assessing driver behaviour in work zones
    May 31, 2013
    David Crawford looks at moves to increase throughput and safety in work zones.
    Read More
  • Speed cameras save vast amounts of money and lives
    June 25, 2012
    A two-year study, ‘Speed cameras in an urban setting: a cost-benefit analysis’, which has been published online in ‘Injury Prevention’ claims that the deployment of speed cameras in urban areas saves vast amounts of money as well as lives. The authors (Joan Mendivil, Anna García-Altés, Katherine Pérez, Marc Marí-Dell'Olmo, and Aurelio Tobías) base their findings on the impact of speed cameras, which were first deployed on the major access routes in and out of Spanish city Barcelona in 2003.
    Read More

Highlighted Content