In Switzerland speeding fines are worked out using a formula based on the income of the motorists and the severity of the speed.
A 37-year-old Swedish man was caught driving at two and a half times the speed limit in his £140,000 Mercedes (pictured above accompanied by police).
According to prosecutors he is now facing the highest possible penalty of 300 days of fines at £2,166 a day - a total of £650,000.
He was caught by a speed camera on the A12 highway between Bern and Lausanne on Friday. He escaped being zapped by numerous radars en-route simply because he was going too fast and they were incapable of clocking speeds beyond 200kph (125mph). It was a new generation of radar machines that finally caught him travelling at close to 300kph (186mph).
"I think the speedo on the car, which is new, is faulty," he told police by way of an explanation.
No mention of disqualification or points on his licence just a massive fine. No wonder Switzerland is called an expensive country to visit.
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6 comments:
Now don't go giving ACPO ideas, SR.
Jings Joe, never thought of that!
Subrosa
I remember the half witted last Labour government came up with a similar money making scheme for minor criminal offenses.
Outcome, people who had lawyers and knew the system declared very low incomes and got low fines. An eighteen year old who did not know the system got fined £750 for dropping a crisp packet.
This stunt was quietly dropped after that.
New labour old idiots, dont you just love them.
Not sure what your point is in posting this SR.
The story is all over the MSM.
You end with a glib remark about Switzerland being an expensive place to visit.
I think the principle is an excellent one, namely that financial penalties should be means-tested.
Fixed penalties are less than flea-bites to the wealthy.
I've never hear of this principle here Dubbie. No, I don't love them.
My point is the difference in the Swiss approach to speeding and ours Hamish.
I don't think my remark is glib. Switzerland is an expensive place to visit for me but that doesn't deter me, I just stay a few days less.
Why should someone, who has worked all their lives and made a bit of money, been penalised more than someone who hasn't for the same crime? No, that doesn't make sense to me. That's creating a very unequal society. It's bad enough as it is.
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