The Police, Border Guard and Customs have long applied fines in the supervision of road and water transport as the penalty for minor criminal offenses. In the new Road Traffic Act and Water Traffic Act, the system of administrative penalties for road and water transport infractions is based on summary penal traffic fees. A summary penal traffic fee is an administrative penalty which largely resembles a parking violation charge, and it is imposed in administrative procedure.
According to National Police Board Chief Superintendent Konsta Arvelin , even though the change is significant, no big changes will actually be seen in police operations.
‘Leaving a seatbelt unfastened, keeping a messaging device in your hand while driving, and regulations concerning traffic grouping and turning are good examples of actions in regard to which the Police can issue a summary penal traffic fee in place of a fine. A summary penal traffic fee can be imposed only on those who are 15 years of age and older,’ Mr Arvelin notes.
The amount of a summary penal traffic fee is fixed
A summary penal traffic fee is a fixed fee, and its amount is determined by the violation in question.
In addition to the violation, the amount is also affected by the individual to whom the summary penal traffic fee is issued. For example, the summary penal traffic fee issued to a pedestrian is EUR 20, whilst it is normally EUR 100 to the driver of a motor vehicle.
In addition to this, summary penal traffic fees are imposed in accordance with the speed limit and the verified degree of speeding in such violations. The summary penal traffic fees for speeding are EUR 70, 100, 140, 170 and 200, depending on the nature of the violation.
Also in automatic traffic control
Summary penal traffic fees are also applied in automatic traffic control. The vehicle-specific summary penal traffic fee applied in automatic control is issued to the owner, holder, or temporary user of a motor vehicle or to the person in charge of the use of a vehicle according to the vehicle registration information.
The requirement for imposition of a summary penal traffic fee is also based on a photograph having been taken of the driver of the vehicle, by which s/he can be identified. One can be freed from the obligation to pay a vehicle-specific summary penal traffic fee if it can be shown in the appeals procedure as likely that the person has not committed a traffic violation, or that there have not been sufficient requirements to justify the imposition of a summary penal traffic fee.
Term of payment 30 days
A summary penal traffic fee must be paid within 30 days of receipt of the decision. The Legal Register Centre is responsible for the enforcement of a summary penal traffic fee, as in the case of fines as well.
Rectification of a summary penal traffic fee can be requested from the authority that has imposed it. The request should be made within 30 days of receipt of the decision and the request should be in writing.
If the request is deficient, the authority will ask the party concerned to supplement his/her request before its review. The authority will resolve the appeal by issuing a decision on the appeal in the case, in which the authority may accept or reject the request. One may appeal to a competent administrative court with respect to the appeal decision made by the authority.
