Greece expands electronic traffic enforcement as AI cameras record 5,785 violations
The AI-powered cameras, installed on major roads in Athens, detect a range of violations, including running red lights, using a mobile phone while driving, speeding, and failing to wear a seat belt or helmet. The violations are digitally recorded, with vehicle details cross-checked to facilitate electronic notification of the vehicle owner.
RED-LIGHT VIOLATIONS ACCOUNT FOR THE LARGEST SHARE
According to the latest figures reported from the camera system, 43.4% of the 5,785 recorded violations involved running a red light. Driver seat-belt violations accounted for 21.1%, while 12.5% involved front passengers failing to wear a seat belt.
The figures refer to recorded violations rather than the number of individual drivers. Based on the reported percentages, approximately 2,511 of the 5,785 cases involved red-light violations, around 1,221 involved drivers not wearing seat belts, and about 723 involved front passengers not wearing seat belts.
Greece began the pilot operation of its digital traffic-violation system in March 2026. The Ministry of Citizen Protection said the AI-enabled cameras can detect red-light violations, speeding, mobile-phone use while driving, and failure to use seat belts or helmets. Notifications can be delivered digitally through the government’s Gov.gr Wallet system.
FINES OF UP TO €700
Under Greece’s new Highway Code, running a red light carries a €700 fine and a 60-day driving licence suspension. The new rules also provide for a €350 fine and a 30-day licence suspension for a driver who fails to wear a seat belt.
The reported figures indicate that the financial value of fines associated with the three most common categories — red-light violations, drivers not wearing seat belts and front passengers not wearing seat belts — runs into several million euros when calculated across all recorded cases. However, the precise total cannot be established from the published percentages alone, particularly because the legal treatment of passenger seat-belt violations and the allocation of liability need to be distinguished from a simple multiplication of the reported percentages.
The expansion of AI-powered enforcement is part of a wider digital traffic-monitoring programme in Greece. In July, the government said six AI-enabled cameras were operating in Attica, while 388 additional cameras installed by the Attica Region were being brought into operation to detect red-light violations
