Estonian police put first-time speeders in time out

Record ID: 1435536

  • Title: Estonian police put first-time speeders in time out
  • Date: 7th October 2019
  • Summary: PARNU, ESTONIA (FILE - OCTOBER 30, 2018) (REUTERS) POLICE OFFICER SHOWING DONOR CARD, HANDED OUT TO DRIVERS IN PREVIOUS 'ANTI-SPEEDING' CAMPAIGN DONOR CARD VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS SPEAKING TO DRIVER WHO WAS PULLED OVER FOR SPEEDING POLICE OFFICER SHOWING SPEED RADAR SCREEN RESULTS DONOR CARD BEING HELD AND SHOWN
  • Embargoed: 21st October 2019 15:12
  • Keywords: Estonia police speeding tickets Estonian police traffic laws speed enforcement
  • Location: RAPLA COUNTY AND PARNU, ESTONIA
  • City: RAPLA COUNTY AND PARNU, ESTONIA
  • Country: Estonia
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
  • Reuters ID: LVA002B03LO3D
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Police in Estonia have started a campaign which presents speeding drivers with a choice of either paying a fine or taking some time-out until they calm down.
    According to police, regular fines are not enough of a deterrent and are often perceived by drivers as regular bills so more creative ways are required to decrease speeding violations.
    Under the new campaign, if a driver chooses to take a time-out, they sit in their vehicle while a count-down clock indicates how much time has elapsed, with penalties ranging from 45 minutes for speeding up to 21 km per hour to 60 minutes for speeding 21-40 km per hour over the limit.
    Police say that the time-out option, which is only extended to first time offenders, has come from drivers themselves, who are annoyed with the amount of time they spend in police cars filling out fine-related paperwork.
    Some drivers claim that the time-out is very helpful while police say that it could have a positive impact with drivers slowing down and driving more reasonably after their time-outs.
    According to official data in 2018, police in Estonia caught 36,677 drivers for speeding, with 25,081 of them driving 21-40 kilometers per hour over the limit, while cameras detected a total of 113,120 instances of speeding.
    In a different project which ran in late 2018, Estonian police handed out organ donor cards along with fines to make drivers more aware of the risks associated with speeding.
    (Production: Janis Laizans, Dominik Starosz)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register