Research does not show that people commit offenses less often thanks to the income-related fine.
Committed a traffic violation can put a big dent in your wallet. But what if the amount of the fine depended on your income? This is the core of the idea of the income-related traffic fine. The idea behind the income-related traffic fine is that people with a higher income can contribute more to the state treasury than people with a lower income.
In contrast, a standard penalty is regressive; the poorer the offender, the more of his income is used to pay the traffic fine.
A traffic fine that is a small amount for one person can be a large amount for another that can put a significant strain on their financial situation. By making the fine dependent on the offender's income, more justice can be achieved on the road.
In many countries an experiment is currently being carried out with income-related traffic fines. In this experiment, people with a lower income receive a lower fine for the same traffic offense than people with a higher income. The experiment is not without controversy. Opponents argue that making people with higher incomes pay more for the same offense is unfair. In addition, it can lead to a sense of impunity among lower-income earners, who believe they can afford more on the road.
When setting the fine, the means of the accused shall be taken into account to the extent necessary with a view to appropriately punishing the accused without disproportionately affecting his income and assets.
In some countries they only look at income from work. In other countries they also include assets such as real estate and dividend income. There are some snags to this system. For example, the court must have access to citizens' financial information. Supporters of the income-related traffic fine point out that it leads to more justice on the road. People with a lower income often have less financial means to pay the fines and are therefore hit harder than people with a higher income.
By making the fine dependent on income, people are prevented from getting into financial problems due to a traffic violation. It remains to be seen whether income-related traffic fines actually lead to more justice on the road and whether they are an effective means of discouraging traffic offences. All in all, the idea of the income-related traffic fine seems at first sight a fairer solution than the current situation.
