One of the world’s most expensive speeding tickets: More than $100,000 for driving 17 mph over the limit
A man in Switzerland has been hit with a potentially huge fine after being caught speeding in the city of Lausanne.
A driver in Switzerland has received a potentially $100,000-plus fine after breaking the speed limit by 17 miles per hour - a super-sized ticket that is the result of a wealth-based fining system.
As reported by the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures earlier this month, the man was caught driving at 77 kilometers per hour (48 mph) on a street with a 50 kph (31 mph) speed limit.
The offense took place in August 2024 in Lausanne, the capital of Switzerland’s western Vaud region.
“Income and wealth” taken into account
Per 24 Heures’ Laurent Antonoff, the driver in question is a French millionaire who has been a Swiss resident for around 20 years.
Under Vaud‘s criminal code, his financial means translate into a far heftier speeding ticket than would be given to someone who does not possess such extreme wealth.
Vincent Derouand, the head of communications at Vaud’s public prosecutor’s office, told 24 Heures: “The judge sets the amount based on the offender’s personal and economic situation at the time of sentencing, taking into account their income and wealth, lifestyle, support obligations, particularly family support, and the minimum subsistence level.”
How much has the millionaire been fined?
The millionaire driver, who has not been named, could end up paying as much as 90,000 Swiss francs (just over $110,000). He has been hit with an up-front fine of 10,000 francs ($12,500), plus a further 80,000 francs ($99,000) that has been suspended for three years.
Wealthy driver not a first-time offender
According to 24 Heures, this is not the first time the driver has incurred a hefty fine for speeding on Swiss streets.
Eight years ago, he also had to pay an immediate 10,000-franc penalty, while a further fine of 60,000 francs ($74,000) was suspended for the following two years.
Per the Associated Press’s Jamey Keaten, a 90,000-franc fine is nowhere near to being a record Swiss speeding ticket. In 2010, a driver of a Ferrari sports car was reportedly slapped with a penalty worth around $290,000 in St. Gallen, a region in the east of Switzerland.
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