Greece’s new digital traffic enforcement system has already issued more than 2,400 fines in its first two months of pilot operation, marking a significant shift in the way road violations are recorded and processed.
According to the first official figures from the Hellenic Police, 2,453 digital fines have been confirmed and delivered to drivers since the system began operating on a trial basis in late March under Law 5256/2025.
The new model replaces the traditional handwritten ticket with a digital process. Cameras record the violation, the vehicle owner is identified through the licence plate, and the fine is then sent electronically, without police officers having to stop the vehicle on the road.
The system currently relies on two sources of footage. The first comes from cameras operated by OSY, Athens’ public bus company, to detect cars and motorcycles illegally entering or parking in bus lanes. The second comes from a pilot network of “smart” cameras overseen by the Ministry of Digital Governance, designed to identify high-risk offences such as speeding, running a red light, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to wear a seat belt or helmet.
Of the 2,453 fines issued so far, 420 drivers filed objections, meaning that roughly one in six challenged the penalty. Only 52 of those appeals were accepted, corresponding to 2.11% of all recorded fines. In other words, nearly nine out of ten objections were rejected.
The accepted appeals mainly involved timing discrepancies, unclear vehicle or driver identification, cases where drivers had a legal exemption from wearing a seat belt, and a number of health-related reasons.
Police stress that the process is not fully automated. Each camera recording is reviewed by an authorised officer before a fine is issued, meaning that human oversight remains part of the system.
Authorities say the pilot phase is designed not only to record violations, but also to test the system’s technical and legal reliability before any wider rollout. If the results are deemed successful, the network is expected to be expanded to more areas, more cameras and additional categories of traffic offences.
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