As of the beginning of the year, foreign motorists living in Finland are liable to receive fines in the mail – if their vehicles are caught speeding by traffic cameras.
Up to now Finnish police have been unable to send tickets to those driving vehicles registered abroad – but that has just changed.
Inspector Dennis Pasterstein of Helsinki Traffic Police told the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that around four percent of speeders recorded by cameras are foreign-registered. That adds up to some 20,000 speeding cases annually.
About 8,000 of these are by vehicles registered in Estonia, he says. Some Estonians living in Finland keep their cars or vans on the books in Estonia, where vehicle taxes are considerably lower.
Surprise at the border?
Meanwhile Russian drivers recorded driving too fast in Finland face fines at the border when they leave the country. Those leaving the 26-nation Schengen Area via Finland's eastern border will be checked against border guard and police records for outstanding fines.
The newly-applicable fines will drop onto Finnish doormats – but even those quicksilver drivers permanently living abroad will not escape in the long run. Forthcoming EU legislation will make it possible for authorities to fine drivers registered in any member state. Already officials exchange data through the European Car and Driving License Information System (EUCARIS), which was established 20 years ago. It now encompasses 35 countries and territories, including Switzerland, Iceland and Gibraltar.