Fines for using a mobile phone while driving increased by nearly 50 percent in 2025, driven largely by the introduction of AI-powered cameras that can detect drivers holding electronic devices. The total number of fines for handheld phone use rose from 165,408 in 2024 to 248,020 in 2025, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice and Security.
The new "focusflitsers" (focus speed cameras), which entered service in May 2025, detected more than 73,000 offences in their first year of operation. The remaining fines were issued by police through traditional methods including traffic stops and the older MONOcam system.
How the focusflitser works
The focusflitser is a mobile camera equipped with artificial intelligence trained to recognise mobile phones. Unlike traditional speed cameras, it photographs the interior of passing vehicles through the windscreen, detecting whether drivers are holding electronic devices.
When the system believes it has detected a phone, it automatically captures multiple images and sends them to the Centraal Justitieel Incassobureau (CJIB). A special enforcement officer then reviews the photographs. Only if the officer confirms the driver was holding a device is a fine issued to the registered keeper.
The first focusflitser was activated on 19 May 2025 on the Ypenburgse Stationsweg in The Hague. The cameras have since been deployed across the country, rotating between locations on busy N-roads and urban access routes. The Public Prosecution Service currently operates 50 focusflitsers, with 10 more planned for 2026.
Photo Credits: Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush
€440 fine in 2026
The fine for holding a mobile electronic device while driving rose from €430 in 2025 to €440 in 2026, excluding administrative costs. The same penalty applies to all electronic devices, not just phones, and drivers can be fined even when stationary at traffic lights or in traffic jams.
Some locations have proven particularly productive for enforcement. Between May and August 2025, cameras on the N307 near Kampen and the N50 between Zwolle and Kampen together issued more than 5,100 fines, generating over €2.2 million for the treasury in just a few months.
In southern Netherlands, police conducted 21 additional action days targeting smartphone use in 2025, alongside regular enforcement. Combined with focusflitser and MONOcam detections, approximately 40,000 fines were issued for phone use while driving in the southern provinces alone.
75 percent of drivers admit to phone use
Research by the SWOV road safety foundation found that 75 percent of Dutch motorists admit to using their phone while driving at least occasionally. The Public Prosecution Service emphasises the danger this poses: at 50 km/h, a driver looking at their screen for just three seconds travels 42 metres, nearly half a football pitch, without watching the road.
"In those few seconds checking that message, you could miss a red traffic light or a pedestrian crossing. Those seconds can be the difference between getting home safely and causing a serious accident," the Public Prosecution Service stated when launching the focusflitser programme.
Overall traffic fines decline
Despite the sharp increase in phone-related fines, the total number of traffic fines fell slightly in 2025 to 7.57 million, down from 7.91 million in 2024. This was primarily due to a drop of nearly half a million speed-related fines, caused partly by equipment replacement programmes.
Other categories saw increases: fines for cyclists without lights rose from 34,001 to 42,233, while seatbelt violations increased from 26,281 to 33,360. Police also issued more fines through traffic stops, with 589,281 citations in 2025 compared to 510,420 in 2024.
The focusflitser is not infallible. Legal experts note the system can occasionally mistake other objects for phones, such as wallets or drink cans. Drivers who believe they have been wrongly fined can appeal within six weeks, and payment is suspended during the appeals process.
