A familiar situation: a Sunday road, the navigator quietly counting kilometers, and somehow the speedometer ends up showing ten or twenty more than allowed. On Sunday, August 9, dozens of drivers in the Košice region paid for such “speedometer loneliness”: during a four-hour special action, patrols recorded 150 violations, and the most frequent — in 87 cases — was speeding, the police reported.
The police conduct such raids regularly across the country, so the Sunday action is just one of many. Drivers who travel Slovak roads daily should know this: from September 1, 2026, fines for speeding will significantly increase, and it will no longer be possible to stay silent about camera fines.
What was found in four hours on Sunday
Besides 87 drivers playing “who is faster,” patrols recorded 11 cases of driving without a seatbelt, 11 cars with technical defects, four overtaking violations, two drivers with phones in hand, and one failure to yield. Breathalyzer tests were conducted on 786 drivers. Fines were also given to those not behind the wheel — a pedestrian and cyclists.
A similar picture was seen in a recent six-hour action in the Spišská Nová Ves district: there, the police found 43 cars with unsatisfactory technical condition, 17 drivers without seatbelts, 9 with phones, and two drunk drivers. For recording violations, they used a service drone — so “no one is on the horizon” is no longer an argument.
How much it costs now
Slovak legislation divides fines into blokové konanie (blokové konanie — summary proceedings paid on the spot or immediately by protocol, smaller amount) and administrative proceedings, where amounts are higher.
For serious speeding — 50 km/h in a populated area or 60 km/h outside it — the fine currently is:
Summary proceedings: from 250 to 800 euros.
Administrative proceedings: from 500 to 1000 euros.
Using a phone while driving is also a serious violation: 150 euros in summary proceedings and up to 300 euros in administrative. Such violations accumulate: three serious offenses within a year — and you can say goodbye to your driver’s license.
What will change from September 1, 2026
The Ministry of the Interior has prepared another increase in fines, which will mainly affect those used to “pushing” on the highway. According to the overview of changes, for significant speeding, amounts will rise to 500–1000 euros in summary proceedings and 800–1300 euros in administrative proceedings.
The second change will affect those who lend cars to friends or family. The principle of objektívna zodpovednosť (objective responsibility) is expanding: for violations recorded by cameras — speeding, phone use while driving — the vehicle owner will be responsible. The argument “I was not driving” will stop working: either you pay or officially indicate who was driving.
What to do now
The police warn directly: road controls will continue, and Sunday raids have long become a usual practice. If you regularly drive in the Košice or neighboring regions, a few simple steps will save you hundreds of euros:
Check the technical condition of the car — 11 such fines out of 150 on Sunday means they pay close attention to this.
Buckle up as soon as you start the engine, and watch the passengers — the driver is responsible.
Phone — in a holder and hands-free mode. Even “just a quick look” already costs 150 euros.
If you lend your car — record who used it, so you don’t have to explain this to the police retroactively from September.
New, higher fines, which can reach over a thousand euros, apply to everyone who gets behind the wheel in Slovakia — both experienced local drivers and those who arrived recently. It’s better to know the numbers before meeting the patrol than after.
