Circumventing a driving ban?
Anyone who commits a traffic violation risks being banned from driving by a criminal court. Anyone who receives a driving ban must surrender their license to the clerk of the court and is prohibited from driving for as long as the ban remains in effect. Yet, some people manage to continue driving without any problems after receiving a driving ban and receiving their license. How do they do this?
The driving ban
A driving ban (or more correctly: a suspension of the right to drive) can be imposed by a criminal court when convicting someone of certain traffic offences.
After the community police officer serves the driving ban on the convicted offender, the convicted offender has four business days to surrender their driver's license to the court registry. If the convicted offender fails to surrender their license on time, they risk a fine of €200 to €2,000.
Once their driver's license is issued, the convicted offender may no longer drive the type of vehicle for which the driving ban was imposed. If they do so, they risk a prison sentence of fifteen days to two years, a fine of €500 to €2,000, and a new driving ban.
Circumventing the driving ban
The news website Het Laatste Nieuws reports that there are ways to circumvent the driving ban.
Even before the case goes to court, some suspects go to the police station to report a lost driver's license. They then receive a certificate and a form to apply for a new one. However, they don't actually lose their license; they simply apply for a second one. After receiving a driving ban, they surrender one of the two licenses to the clerk's office and can present the other during a check.
It is not feasible for the police officers conducting the checks to also check with dispatch whether the driving licence is valid for every driver who presents a driving licence.
In this way, certain convicts could pass through the checks unnoticed and continue driving despite an imposed driving ban.
Not without risk
If these evaders are caught, the penalty is severe. Anyone who makes a false statement to obtain a driver's license risks a potential prison sentence of eight days to two years, a fine of €200 to €2,000, and a driving ban.