- Drivers in the country are fined based on their reported income.
- A court determined the driver had a taxable income of almost $2 million.
- Getting caught speeding in Switzerland can be equally as expensive.
Tailgating isn’t just illegal but it’s also downright dangerous. Getting caught tailgating has also proven to be eye-wateringly expensive for a driver in Switzerland, who was recently slapped with a fine of more than $128,000.
Police state that in March 2023, the 58-year-old driver of a BMW 540d was spotted on the A1 highway near Zurich driving at speeds of up to 74 mph while being just 26-40 feet behind the car in front of him. In most places, an offense like this may attract a fine of a few hundred dollars, but in Switzerland, traffic violations like this are calculated based on an individual’s income.
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In this case, the BMW driver was found to have a taxable income of 1.674 million Swiss Francs, or just shy of $2 million. He was handed a fine of CHF 108,500 or ~$128,400.
The offending driver, who just so happens to be a lawyer, questioned the validity of the fine and took the matter to the High Court. He claimed he had not been read his rights while being questioned and said calculating the following distance by video was inaccurate. The court dismissed these claims. Fortunately, he won’t have to pay the majority of the fine.
BlueWin reports the judgment consists of a conditional fine valued at CHF 1,970 (~$2,300) per day or 50 days, amounting to CHF 98,500(~$116,000), and tied to a two-year probationary period. However, he will have to pay the remaining CHF 10,000 (~$11,800) as well as court costs amounting to CHF 3,000 (~$3,500) and all of his legal fees. That’s a huge sum of money for tailgating but goes to prove that if you’re driving in Switzerland, and are a high-earner, committing any kind of traffic offense is a very bad decision.
