The Estonian police currently operate seven mobile speed cameras, which have revealed stark statistics: approximately 9 percent of vehicles on Estonia's roads exceed the permitted speed limit.

"The number of speeders has been increasing year by year. This year, both stationary and mobile cameras have identified over 310,000 violations. Most of these infractions occur on major highways, particularly the Tallinn-Tartu and Pärnu-Ikla routes, where traffic volumes are very high," explained Taavi Kirss, head of the traffic supervision department at the Police and Border Guard Board.

"We've noticed that speeding up to 20 km/h over the limit has become almost habitual. People seem to view it as strangely acceptable – this +10 or +20 km/h over the limit has, regrettably, become the norm on our roads," added Rainer Antsaar, head of the Kuressaare Police Department.

In Saaremaa, the ratio of patrol-issued speeding tickets to camera-issued fines is approximately one to six. Over the past few years, patrol officers have issued around 1,000 speeding fines annually, while a single camera records more than 6,000 violations.

Although the police emphasize that their primary goal is to calm traffic and improve road safety rather than impose penalties, fines for speeding contribute significantly to the state budget.

"Our main task is to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on the roads and to save lives. However, it's true that speed cameras generate substantial fine revenue. This year, fines issued by speed cameras amount to approximately €10.5 million, about €1 million more than last year," Kirss noted.

In addition to several price increases taking effect at the start of the new year, speeding fines will also rise in just three days.

"Starting at midnight on January 1, the fine for speeding will double, with one penalty unit increasing from €4 to €8. The cost per kilometer detected by mobile cameras will also rise, from €5 to €7," said Antsaar.

As of November 19, most speeding violations have been recorded in Harju County – 157,493 in total, of which 122,217 were identified by mobile cameras. Last year, the total number of speeding violations in Harju County was 133,383.

In Pärnu County, 40,162 speeding violations have been recorded this year, with just over half detected by mobile cameras. The total number of infractions in Pärnu County has already surpassed last year's figure.

Additionally, more than 10,000 violations have been recorded this year in Ida-Viru County (19,250), Tartu County (16,875) and Järva County (12,868). However, in Ida-Viru and Tartu counties, the number of speeding violations remains lower than last year's totals of 21,331 and 25,165, respectively.

In Jõgeva County, 8,544 violations have been measured as of November 19, compared to 10,286 last year. Other figures include Lääne County (7,268 this year versus 7,107 last year), Lääne-Viru County (6,513 this year versus 3,743 last year), Saaremaa (6,393 this year versus 5,489 last year), Rapla County (5,921 this year versus 3,992 last year) and Põlva County (3,824 this year versus 1,310 last year).

Fewer than 1,000 speeding violations have been recorded this year in Valga County (170), Viljandi County (306) and Võru County (973). However, all three counties have seen an increase in violations compared to last year, with Võru County experiencing nearly a threefold rise.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!