Fines are starting to arrive on the doorsteps of drivers who exceeded the speed limits on the national highway on Crete, up to two and a half years after the offense has been committed.
The cameras on the road, from Chania to Lassithi, have been and continue to ceaselessly record hundreds of offenses each month, with drivers being called to pay fines of 350 euros, as well as having their driver’s license confiscated for 90 days, as is foreseen by law.
According to figures, in just two and a half months, traffic police have confirmed 732 offenses and with the use of radar, an additional 1.481. As a result, the fines applied, come to the impressive amount of half a million euros in the period of 75 days!
The analysis of offenses committed between 1st January and 15th March, as recorded by the traffic police officers, apart from the radar speed checks, are 444 for illegal overtaking, 82 for use of mobile phone, 69 for driving in opposite lane, 43 for drink driving, 42 for no seat belts, 41 for no helmets and 11 for ignoring road signs.
And then there are the drivers who thought that they had cheated the cameras, or who believed that the cameras weren’t working at all. In fact, the cameras have recorded approximately 500 offenses for excessive speed, each month during the same period.
The delay in the dispatch of the fines, which can be as much as two and a half years, is an issue which the responsible department is looking to improve with time, as it does cause a problem for the drivers.
From the side of the offenders, there are now many, who despite acknowledging their offenses, find it almost impossible to find the funds to pay the fines and point out the necessity for the re-examination of the speed limits, which in some places are dangerously low, plus the other shortcomings of the road in general.