Justice - Speeding will no longer be indicated in Potsdam
Repeatedly driving without a permit should no longer lead to reporting in Potsdam. "The Traffic Operations Potsdam GmbH will henceforth renounce reporting for repeated driving without a permit," explained a spokesperson for the city utilities. This decision followed a resolution of the Potsdam City Council, in which the mayor was instructed to instruct the traffic companies to renounce such reports in the future.
Driving without a valid ticket will still be punished: For driving without a valid ticket, an increased fare of 60 Euros will be charged in the future, according to the spokesperson. According to the traffic company, there were only a few cases of driving without a ticket in Potsdam in the past that were reported.
Background is that driving without a ticket or "theft of services" in Germany generally counts as a criminal offense under federal law. Here, a fine or even a prison sentence of up to one year can be imposed. Therefore, the municipalities can indeed renounce reports, but not change the criminal offense itself. Other cities also want to renounce reports in the future.
In relation to this change, the Potsdam city council also discussed the issue of reporting for 'Justice' in similar situations. Nevertheless, it's important to note that 'traffic violations' like driving without a ticket remain 'criminal offenses' under federal law, even if cities choose not to report them. The spokesperson mentioned that a 'StrafAnzeige' might not be necessary for repeated driving without a permit in 'Brandenburg', due to the decision made by the transportation operation of the 'Potsdam City Council'. However, 'transportation operations' in other cities are considering following suit and renouncing reports for similar offenses.
