The European Traffic Index

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Last update 5.2.2020 | First published 15.1.2017

European traffic fines compared

– Common traffic fines are compared across 35 countries in Europe. It is obvious where you should show extra care and avoid any violations. Norway and Estonia come out on top while Poland and Germany are close to bottom.
The European mean value of the fines is set to 100%. This makes it easy to compare the fines in any country to another.

Hover for info, click for details
percentage of European mean :
0 – 50%
51 – 100%
101 – 200%
201% – 500%

Alcohol in ‰. Fines in €. Index in % of European mean value
50% deductions are included for Slovenia and Spain. A deduction of €45 is included for France.
Pay on-the-spot or within days if you are a local. Otherwise the fine will double to 100% in Slovenia and Spain. In France the fine will be €135.Click any symbol to sort.
The hamburger is index in percentage of European mean, the gray hamburger is index corrected for purchasing power.
country MEAN
VALUE
Albania 20 6 10 10 12 8% 24%
Austria 50 50 70 70 60 38% 29%
Belgium 150 110 165 165 148 92% 78%
Bosnia and Herzegovina 50 50 50 50 50 31% 112%
Bulgaria 25 25 50 33 21% 44%
Croatia 135 65 90 260 138 86% 149%
Czech Republic 38 74 200 38 88 55% 63%
Denmark 405 200 270 270 286 179% 141%
Estonia(2 400 200 400 800 450 282% 376%
Europe – mean value 187 97 165 190 150 100% 100%
Finland(2 312 76 140 160 172 108% 99%
France 90 90 90 90 90 59% 55%
Germany 80 100 30 90 60 47% 38%
Greece 100 100 700 700 400 251% 369%
Hungary 94 32 325 156 250 95% 140%
Iceland 300 300 150 220 243 152% 124%
Ireland 80 60 80 80 75 47% 27%
Italy 143 160 85 200 147 92% 96%
Kosovo 60 40 60 150 78 49% 162%
Latvia 160 15 55 40 68 42% 66%
Lithuania 86 30 115 115 87 63% 84%
Luxembourg 49 75 145 145 104 65% 25%
Macedonia 45 45 300 130 81% 226%
Montenegro 60 60 70 63 40% 95%
Netherlands 207 240 240 240 232 145% 113%
Norway 944 184 756 756 660 414% 259%
Poland 48 50 60 75 58 37% 53%
Portugal 120 120 120 120 120 75% 98%
Rumania 65 100 65 77 48% 84%
Serbia 25 50 130 68 43% 119%
Slovakia 80 50 100 150 95 60% 77%
Slovenia(1 250 60 250 150 178 111% 134%
Spain(1 150 100 100 100 113 71% 78%
Sweden 335 170 280 314 275 172% 139%
Switzerland 560 85 245 234 282 176% 109%
United Kingdom(3 118 225 120 85 137 86% 80%
mean = mean value of mobile, nopass and redlight in euros
1) Doubled to official rate, 100%, if you do not pay on-the-spot or within 8 (Slovenia) or 20 (Spain) days as a local
2) Data are uncertain, please inform me

3) Scotland has 0.5‰
sources: bussenkatalog.ch © 2014 Verlag LawMedia AG and Eurostat
Fines for 4 common traffic offenses are included. Driving at 71km/h in urban ares, mobile use without a handsfree, violation of a no passing sign, and red light crossing.
This index was inspired by The Big Mac Index. Wikipedia will explain. The extra index is adjusted for purchasing power parity, PPS.

The fine for +21 km/h is still unknown and difficult to find for many countries. Any info will be appreciated. Please comment below 🙂

Traffic fines and Burger index per country
click any graphic to enlarge – please note that some data may be out of date
The graphic Burger index.
Adjusted for purchasing power parity.
Mobile, nopass and redlight fines per country.

17 Comments

  1. Alfredo
    11.07.2020 @ 23:52

    These fines do not include additional costs to pay, just show the basic sum from the tariff.
    For example driving on the red light costs in Switzerland 250 CHF, but for instance in case on being caught by the camera taking photos on the intersection, there can be additional costs added (processing, judge, sending of the letter etc) raising the final bill to pay to over 500 CHF + suspension of the license.

    Reply

  2. Marek
    22.06.2019 @ 03:11

    Great map that shows where insane people live who have problems with speed…
    I live in the Netherlands and though we were one of the worst, but it appears Scandinavia is filled with morons, but Switserland and Estonia are also apparently insane.

    I don’t have a problem with fines for using a mobile phone or running red lights, but come on, for Vmax + 21, some countries have absolutely retarded anti speeding campaigns. Learn from bloody Germany or Poland. There should never be speed limits on motorways in the first place…

    Reply

  3. Juancho
    03.05.2019 @ 12:55

    Guys I got clocked doing 42 kph on the motorway in France. I paid 135€ but also had to surrender my Swiss DL. Do you know how long will it take them to send me my DL back?, also, would they inform the Swiss STVA about it? – if they do im doomed!

    Reply

  4. Remy
    23.02.2019 @ 01:33

    On all Serbian freeways they’ve implemented average speed measuring by calculating how much time it took you from one toll plaza to the next one. Cops are often waiting 24/7 for drivers in transit, and you have to pay in RSD on spot. The tolerance is zero, there are cases of people barely getting away with 122 average speed in 120 zone (May 2018). Since June 2018 the speed limit was hiked to 130, but zero tolerance policy is still in effect. In addition, they still patrol the roads in unmanned cars for those who try to speed big time and then take a break at the gas station to try to cheat the system.

    Reply

  5. Klinton
    25.01.2019 @ 22:33

    Nowadays in Albania for 21km/h above the limit the fines are way more. Starts from 5000 ALL (near 40€) to 25000 ALL(200€).
    For texting its 2000 ALL (15€)
    And for red stop light it’s 15000 ALL (110€).
    Best regards from Albania.
    Klinton

    Reply

  6. E. A.
    29.09.2018 @ 20:44

    The info for Bosnia and Herzegovina are outdated or false. As of February 2017, the fines and other penalties go as follows: +21 kph over the speed limit on ANY type of road = €50 + 1 month license suspension, using phone = €50, improper overtaking = €50 (+1 month license suspension if dangerous/risky overtaking, and red light = €50 + 1 month license suspension. The fines can be reduced by 50% if paid under 8 days. If penalties are administered by a court, then for all these offenses the fine can go up to €150 and 4 months of license withdrawal, with no possibility to pay 50% of the fine only. Plus you would have to add €10 of administrative taxes, and all the court expenses. The alcohol limit is still 0.03% and 0.00% for new drivers (3 years after obtaining the driving license). Penalties for drunk driving can go anywhere from €25 to €500 and jail depending on the exact level of alcohol in the blood. Besides that, a license withdrawal of up to 6 months is possible (mandatory for levels over 0.08%), or up to 1 year if administered by court. If an accident is caused by drunk driving the fine can go up to €2500. If a person is killed, there is a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Other common penalties (which are very gladly enforced by the cops) include: €50 for seatbelt offense, €50 for not yielding to vehicle or stopping at a stop sign (+1 month of license suspension if immediate danger), €50 + 1 month license suspension for not yielding to a pedestrian on a controlled crosswalk, €200 + 2 months of license suspension for transporting a child under the age of 12 on the front seat, €25 for road marking and roundabout offenses, €25 for making too much noise with the vehicle, €20 for not carrying mandatory items (first aid kit, reflective vest, set of light bulbs, etc.), €20 for parking/stopping offenses, €15 for driving with lights off during the day, and €15 for not carrying driving license and other proper paperwork/documents while driving. There is one specificity which is uncommon in Europe, but very common in the U.S. (and Bosnia) regarding school busses or other children transport vehicles: any vehicle transporting children which has a special orange square sign in front and back of the vehicle which has stopped in order to let children in or out of the vehicle means STOP for vehicles traveling in both directions. Failing to do so can result in a €50-150 fine and 1-4 months of license suspension. Also, radar detector devices are now illegal and people can be fined up to €150 for even owning such a device. The device shall also be confiscated. Those selling or advertising such devices can get a fine of up to €2500. Otherwise, the maximum possible fine is €5000. It is prescribed to road maintenance companies for failing to do their job correctly, and to any company employing drivers who might let those drivers work for too long or making them work despite their license being revoked/suspended. And to finish, a few fines destined to cyclists and pedestrians: most fines range from €15 to €25. One interesting thing is also that pedestrians are prohibited from using a phone, texting, reading newspapers, etc., while crossing the road… even on a controlled crosswalk. The fine is €25.

    Reply

    • Remy
      23.02.2019 @ 01:40

      I know that they enforce the license suspension also for foreign drivers (seen it on “Slučajevi X” aired on Hayat). But how is it enforced in practice? I saw a BiH expat in Sarajevo caught going through a red light. He was fined 100 BAM (52 EUR) and received a one-month driving suspension on the entire territory of BiH. However he still drove away in his Porsche. If they leave a grace period (for example for a legal challenge) he could have left the country in the mean time and the suspension de facto didn’t apply, or?

      Reply

      • N
        08.04.2019 @ 16:16

        I was stopped by the police in Bosnia because I was overtaking where it was not allowed. I needed to pay 100 BAM (50 euro) according to the police and they needed to take my driver license for 1 month. After a while they also gave me the option to just pay 50 BAM (25 euro, which disappeared in their pockets) and I got my license back too. Just negotiate with the cops, in Bosnia it’s still possible so make use of it. And make sure you don’t pay for something you didn’t do! They wanted to let me pay for a speeding offence (40 over the limit) too and also because I didn’t wear a seat belt according to them. Sure I was speeding (not that much), but they didn’t have a measurement and I was wearing my seat belt, but I took it off because they stopped me. Be polite, but show that you don’t want to pay for something you didn’t do.

        Reply

  7. Slawka
    20.07.2018 @ 18:38

    Absolutely great info! Thanks for sharing it!
    Greetings form Poland.

    Reply

  8. Peter Mifsud
    16.02.2018 @ 11:45

    Great site….thanks. Malta (EU) is missing 🙁

    Reply

    • SpeedingEurope Team
      16.02.2018 @ 12:09

      Thank you 🙂  And Malta is missing. Do you have any info or references on it?

      Reply

      • Potocki
        09.05.2019 @ 02:05

        SpeedingEurope Team,
        I put some info on Malta at Europe side over a year ago.
        “MALTA In Malta you have roads in a worse condition than in most places in Europe, but still you can drive them. They are bumpy, curvy with uneven, often broken tarmac. The speed limits are 50kmh in the city and 80 kmh outside, but the roads are so curvy and so poor that it is not that easy to go much faster. There are some speed cameras on main roads but not many( I’ve seen 2-3, some say that they are 10 and measure average speed). There is a lot of police but it’s probably not the traffic police (seen 1-2 controlling cars). The driving style is something between Souther Europe and Middle East. If there is a place in front people move on but rather slowly, respecting the priority rule when they realy feel you are not going to stop and yield. They drive slowly but may turn with no signals, use 2 lanes instead of one. As it was outside Europe a ‘highway’ does not necessarily mean dual carriageway with no crossings. The local roads may have ony 1 lane (in both directions). Often you have an impression that you are driving into somebody’s farm while actualy driving along a major road. I don’t know what are the fines for speeding unfortunately, but I do not think there is a big chance of getting a ticket. Speed safely and don’t get caught!
        Read more at: https://www.speedingeurope.com/ – copyright © http://www.speedingeurope.com

        Reply

  9. automies suomalainen
    27.07.2017 @ 21:40

    In finland, if you speed more than 20km/h, the fines are based on your incomes. The listed value you have is pretty much the minimum of the scale for persons with low income. On the other end, there are cases where a person was given 36000€ fine for going 23km/h over the limit and on another occasion 50000+ euro fine for same person. (Google for reima kuisla)
    If your net income (after taxes) is 2500€ month, and you speed 21km/h when speed limit is more than 60, the fine is on average 560€. (Ref https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-6548126 – use google translate)

    Reply

  10. Adrien
    31.05.2017 @ 18:31

    Hi,
    Your values in Switzerland are outdated as there has been a major change in traffic law. I can help you get the new numbers if interested

    Reply

  11. Alex Kavell
    16.05.2017 @ 18:54

    Hej SpeedingEurope Team,

    Just saw your site today, it’s great, I will contribute soon (probably) as I am kind of a forgetful driver who doesn’t slow down some times…

    I can confirm your data on Slovenia speeding tickets, it is correct as of 16 May 2017!

    Best regards from Vienna,
    Alex

    Reply

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