Millionaire Swiss car driver fined £180,000 for speeding
photo Libär/flickr The town of St Gallen in Switzerland has levied a record-breaking speeding fine on a car driver
A man driving a Ferrari through a Swiss town at 35mph over the speed limit has received a record-breaking fine of £180,000.
The fine was so large because because the country uses a proportional system of punishments, and the offender is a multi-millionaire.
The 53-year-old man drove through a 50mph speed zone at 85mph in St Gallen, a town in the north-east of Switzerland, near the border with Austria and Germany.
In 2002 Swiss voters approved replacing prison terms for speeding with fines based on income. The driver of the Ferrari Testarossa is reported to have an annual income over £500,000 and be worth over £12 million.
Fine was increased twice on appeal
The driver was initially fined £60,000 by the local jurisdiction, but this was raised twice on appeal when the driver claimed falsely to have diplomatic immunity.
Other countries such as Finland use a similar system of proportionate fines, with the head of Nokia receiving a £70,000 punishment for speeding in 2002, equivalent to 14 days' pay.
Proportionate fines exist in certain circumstances in the UK: for instance, companies found guilty of financial misconduct can receive fines proportional to their wealth.
COMMENTS
Fines are meant to act as a deterrent. Unfortunately the disparities in income in British society nowadays mean that many fixed traffic fines are only pocket money to some. This contributes to the impression that certain wealthy individuals are above the law.
Katrin Wedepohl, London
Whether they're for speeding or whatever, fines are designed to make you think twice about breaking the law. For this to be effective, they must hurt the wealthy's pockets too, as well they do those on typical incomes.
James Carter, Essex
Apparently this guy was a repeat offender, and he tried to get off by pretending to be a foreign diplomat. In this case would a £200 fine have been sufficient punishment? Or £2000? Only the courts will really know, but it sounds like £200k was probably a better application of justice in his case.
Liam Nix, Hammersmith
Attach a point system to every licence. Every km/h over the limit is a point lost. When you have 'used up' your points, it's all over: licence lost, insurance cancelled, you need to get a bike. Irrespective of how much money this fool has he would lose his driver's licence immediately, plus the fine, plus community service for dangerous driving.
Chris Bryce, London
Proportional fines are a good idea, but people should also lose their licences for longer. Courts are often loath to deprive somebody of the 'right' to drive, because (s)he invariably says his or her livelihood depends on it. Well, people might think harder about the speed they drive if they knew they could be without a car for many years. And vulnerable road users would have a long holiday from their speeding ways.
Adam Manolson, London
They seem to get a lot right in Switzerland: loads of great cycling lanes, smooth tarmac and fair laws too. Too often a £60 fine and 3 points on your licence doesn't stop people.
Mark Burton, London
Are you in favour of proportional fines for motorists? And for cyclists too? Have your say below...
