Lima traffic fines: lawmaker criticizes steep discounts for offenders

A decision by Peru's executive branch to permit discounts of up to 90% on certain traffic and transport fines has drawn sharp criticism from within Congress. Deputy Luis Quispe Candia, who chairs the Infrastructure, Housing, and Transport Commission, labeled the government's action as "rewarding offenders" and cautioned that it could weaken the deterrent effect of sanctions.

This concern is particularly relevant given the high volume of traffic violations recorded in Lima. Between January and June 2026, Lima's Open Data Portal reported 496,156 traffic fines, totaling S/201.90 million. While 69.8% of these fines were paid, the effective amount collected was substantially lower due to applied discounts. The paid fines represented an issued value of S/112.07 million, but discounts totaling S/81.28 million (72.5%) reduced the actual payment to S/30.78 million, merely 27.5% of the original amount.

The data further reveals variations based on the severity of infractions. For serious fines, 117,342 violations valued at S/55.8 million were recorded. Of these, 80,047 were paid, but discounts of S/28.5 million (77.1%) reduced the effective payment to S/8.46 million, only 22.9% of the issued value. Minor infractions constituted the largest group with 348,558 fines totaling S/91.63 million. Here, 256,510 were paid, with discounts of S/50.78 million bringing the effective payment down to S/14.90 million, or 22.7% of the original amount.

In contrast, for very serious infractions, 30,256 fines valued at S/54.46 million were issued, but only 9,887 were paid (32.7%). The effective payment for these fines was S/7.41 million, representing 78.8% of the issued amount, indicating fewer discounts were applied or accepted in this category.

Quispe Candia argued that the reduction of fines is problematic as it may create an expectation that sanctions will be forgiven or reduced later. He stated that the measure benefits those who have broken the rules and could encourage repeat offenses. The legislator also pointed out that those who paid the full amount may feel disadvantaged.

“

It is a reward for offenders.