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Dutch Border Checks Blamed as Towns Draft Urgent Letter After Fresh A12 Crashes

Local leaders seek relocation of German controls to reduce queues and rear‑end risks near Babberich.

Overview

  • Zevenaar and Montferland are finalizing a brandbrief to the German government calling for changes to border checks, with proposals to reconsider where inspections take place.
  • A new crash on Friday near the German border left one person seriously injured and shut the A12 toward Germany for hours after a van driver spotted the queue too late.
  • Police named a 36‑year‑old man from Lichtenvoorde as the suspect in Wednesday’s chain collision and reported a positive saliva test for drugs, with a hospital blood test pending.
  • The suspect returned to a recovery yard a day later with white powder under his nose, tested positive again, was re‑arrested, and had his driver’s license seized.
  • Doetinchem’s mayor condemned the checks as causing diversion through villages, while Rijkswaterstaat said the controls create congestion and shockwaves that heighten rear‑end collision risks despite existing safety measures.