Record fines after the changes to the Road Code - Accidents do not decrease despite the collection of 28 million euros in one year

Record fines after changes to the Road Code - Accidents do not decrease despite the collection of 28 million euros in one year

The tightening of penalties for drivers is serving to fill the state coffers. During the last year, fines were quadrupled, but the number of accidents increased by 20%, questioning the effectiveness of this policy. Some traffic police officers told "INA Media" confidentially that their superiors have verbally ordered them to impose a minimum of 30 fines per day, otherwise they will be reprimanded.

Emirjon Senja

The tightening of the Road Code has led to an increase in penalties against vehicle drivers, quadrupling the value of the fines, but without affecting the reduction in the number of road accidents. The data provided by the State Police show that the total value of fines reached 28 million euros for 2023, a significant increase compared to previous years.

However, statistics show that the number of road accidents during the same period not only did not decrease, but increased by 20%. The situation is particularly worrying because of the applied policies, where fines seem to serve more to fill the state coffers than to improve road safety.

Traffic police are enforcing verbal orders to impose a minimum number of fines per day, a practice that raises questions about the ethics and effectiveness of punitive measures. In some cases, the automatic radar and sudden changes in speed limits have become the source of massive fines, especially in areas such as the entrance to Vlora and the main axes of the country.

The toughened system of penalties has not been supported by infrastructure improvements or educational measures. Road safety experts point out that unilateral penalties cannot work without an integrated approach that includes driver education and investment in road infrastructure.

The main findings of the research:

Traffic fines quadrupled from 6.7 million euros in 2020 to 28 million euros in 2023.
Number of accidents during 2023 it increased by 20% compared to the previous year, bringing over 190 victims.
Verbal orders for imposing a minimum of 30 fines per shift by the Traffic Police.
Infrastructure improvements and consulting, promised after the changes to the Highway Code, have remained on paper.
Experts suggest an integrated strategy of fair fines, education and investment to reduce accidents.

For more details on the impact of fines and the alarming accident figures, read the full article: https://ina.media/2024/12/10/rekord-gjobash-pas-ndryshimit-te-kodit-rrugor-28-milione-euro-ne-nje-vit-por-aksidentet-vijojne-njelloj/