First drivers hit with Hungary's new maximum speeding fine

The new maximum fine for speeding, Ft 300,000 (€1,200), has been issued to two drivers in Kecskemét and Kunszentmárton, reports regional news portal baon.hu. Stricter traffic regulations came into effect on May 1.

On Sunday at 8:51 a.m., a silver BMW 730D was photographed on Kecskemét's Budai út driving at 134 kph, almost three times the permitted 50 kph. The driver of the car, a woman living from the district of Széchenyiváros, was mailed a yellow slip for Ft 300,000, the maximum fine which can be issued according to the new regulations.

Another Ft 300,000 fine was also issued to a motorist from Nyíregyháza driving at 126 kph in a 40 kph zone in Kunszentmárton, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County.

"The traffic situation has improved noticeably since stricter regulations were introduced," said Colonel Ottó Vakulya, public safety director of the Bács-Kiskun County Police.

New regulations have made the work of officers easier in that they no longer have to stop speeders to identify the driver. It is now enough to simply take a photo or video of the license plate as the car owner is always responsible rather than the driver. Once the photograph has been processed, the regional police center mails out the initial decision on the fine. Drivers can appeal, but are advised against it as police have been instructed to reject most requests for fairness. The only consesion granted to car owners receiving large fines is the opportunity to pay in installments.

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