Fewer foreigners means less cash for traffic fines in Palma

Income from foreigners' traffic fines in Palma down by two-thirds

Cars in Palma. archive photo. | J. Torres

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma18/01/2021 11:18

Palma City Council says the amount of money collected for traffic fines imposed on foreigners will be just a third of the usual total because of the drastic drop in tourists during the coronavirus pandemic. Palma City Council has budgeted for a total of 500,000 euros.

Between January and October 2020, Mobilitat recorded a total of 16,910 foreigners' fines and collected 213,310 euros, but because the fines are imposed on people from overseas, that amount is not final.

Sanctions against foreigners have to follow a specific protocol and the process usually takes a few months.

Either way, the final amount will be far less than was collected in 2019 when 70,857 fines were imposed on foreign drivers and 1,785,980 euros collected. In 2018 the number of fines was similar and 1,729,198 euros collected.

Traffic fines imposed on foreigners in Palma increased substantially in 2017, mostly because Acire controls didn’t exist until October 2016. After that the amount of money collected soared from 361,756 euros in 2016 to 1,186,702 euros in 2017 and has remained more or less stable since then.

In 2012 a specialist company was hired by Palma City Council to collect the fines had basically been written off before then.

Cort only collects about 60% of the traffic fines imposed on foreigners, because the perpetrators of the other 40% either can’t be located or refuse to pay.