A DRIVER has been slapped with a hair-raisingly high traffic fine with a penalty worth a whopping $110,000.
While their identity hasn’t been revealed, a French citizen – and one of Switzerland’s wealthiest residents – has been hit with a citation based on his substantial fortune.
A driver in Switzerland has been slapped with an outrageously high traffic fine[/caption]
The speeding motorist is one of the country’s richest residents – and he was handed a fine to match[/caption]
In Switzerland, and other European nations, drivers can receive fines that are relative to their income and wealth[/caption]
According to Oregon Live, Switzerland is known for dishing out fines based on an individual’s income, as well as an offender’s history of traffic violations – all done that way to keep things fair.
The report claims, in this instance, the man based in the city of Lausanne was fined up to 90,000 Swiss francs, which works out at over $110,000, for speeding as he exceeded the limit by 27 kilometers per hour, or 17 mph.
This income-based system is not exclusive to Switzerland, as countries like Germany, France, Austria and the Nordic nations also issue fines based on wealth.
The goal is to ensure that penalties are proportionate to the offender’s financial capabilities – making them equally impactful regardless of income level.
And for wealthy individuals, the fines can be substantial.
In another case in 2010, a millionaire Ferrari driver was handed a ticket equal to about $290,000 for speeding in St. Gallen, a Swiss city near Lake Constance.
In some instances, those in dire financial situations may simply face jail time instead of being forced to pay fines.
What’s more, repeat offenders face escalating penalties, as seen with a tycoon who could be fined another 80,000 Swiss francs if caught speeding again within three years.
Previously, many in the country felt the rich were able to get off punishment lightly with fines a set amount.
That is until voters approved a penal law overhaul that now allows judges to hand out fines based on personal income and wealth.
The ruling seems to work, with penalties for speeding even given to cops.
One police officer was fined heavily in 2016 for racing at nearly twice the speed limit through Geneva while chasing thieves who had blown up a bank teller machine.
This comes as a new speeding law went into effect last month creating harsher penalties for anyone driving over the limit in Florida.
Motorists will face more than just fines if they are caught at a “dangerous” speed.
Under the law, a driver who commits “dangerous excessive speeding” will be punished depending on their number of previous convictions.
A first conviction can see them receive up to 30 days in jail, a fine of $500 – or both.
But a driver with subsequent convictions can be sentenced to up to 90 days in jail, a fine of $1,000 or both
And motorists with subsequent convictions within five years will see their licenses affected.
A revocation of the repeat offender’s driving privileges could be anywhere between 180 days to a year.
The law change officially came into force on July 1.
How to fight a speeding ticket
According to a legally reviewed post, there are five effective strategies to fighting a speeding ticket if it was wrongfully issued.
- If pulled over and issued a ticket, drivers can argue or dispute a driver’s personal opinion. When issuing a speeding ticket, an officer is required to write their opinion and come to an “objective” conclusion. If the ticket was written based on that judgment, it can be contested. An example would be if you were going 75 mph in a 65 mph zone because others were traveling at the same speed, you could argue that it would be more dangerous to travel at 65 mph.
- You can dispute the officer’s presentation of evidence. If you were ticketed for something like running a stop sign or making an illegal u-turn, you can’t contest that if an officer saw you, but you can call things into court like eyewitnesses, diagrams, or photos.
- Argue that the ticket was issued by a “mistake of fact.” This is tricky, but a “mistake of fact” is a mistake made by a driver about a situation that was beyond their control, or if a driver legitimately did not know they were violating the law. For example, you were driving in two lanes because the lane markers were so worn down that you could not see them.
- You could say circumstances justified your driving. You could say you were speeding to pass a possibly drunk driver, or avoiding an accident by rapidly changing lanes. However, the argument won’t work if there’s proof you continued to speed after passing.
- Similar to the above, it could be argued that speeding was necessary to avoid harm. The key is to argue that if you weren’t speeding, you or someone else could have been harmed.
- Consult a traffic attorney, if all else fails. Many have free consultations to decide whether or not there’s a case.
Source: FindLaw
