A French businessman was snapped at 77 km/hour in a 50-km/hour zone in Lausanne, and was fined a whopping 90,000 francs – here’s why.
Speeding fines in Switzerland depend on how much faster than the posted limit the motorist was driving.
If you, like the French driver in question, exceed the limit by more than 20 km/hour in a built-up area (such as a city centre or residential street), you will typically have to pay at least 240 francs.
However, for more serious speeding offences (or if you are recidivist), additional penalties will be imposed and your license will be suspended. .
READ ALSO: What are the punishments for speeding in Switzerland?
And the wealthier you are, the more you are likely to pay.
How does this work?
The Swiss are very pragmatic, especially when it comes to financial matters.
Therefore, they had passed a law several years ago (Article 34 of the new Criminal Code) which establishes speeding fines for repeat offenders based on their income and assets.
Before slapping the repeat speeders with a fine, authorities take into account not only the offender’s wealth, but also the money they need to support their families and other obligations they may have.
This penalty system can only be implemented if the driver lives in Switzerland, even if he or she is a foreign national.
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What about the French driver?
According to media reports, the unnamed man, a longtime Swiss resident, is among the country’s 300 richest people, whose fortune is estimated at several hundred million francs.
While his 90,000-franc fine would financially ruin most people, for him it is just a tiny drop in the bucket.
In fact, this is not his first driving offence: the man had already been convicted of the same offence previously, receiving a fine of 60,000 francs.
(There is no mention of whether his driving license was, or is, suspended due to these offences).
But money may be the least of his problems: if the man ever decides to apply for Swiss citizenship, his driving offences will likely be held against him.
He could have learned this lesson from his compatriot, who has lived in Switzerland for 40 years and owns several multi-million-franc businesses here.
In 2017, the Geneva resident reportedly drove past a 40-km/h construction site at 80 km/h and was subsequently slapped with a 540-franc fine.
His citizenship application was initially rejected in 2018, because the naturalisation committee took his careless driving to mean than the candidate was “not successfully integrated.” His subsequent appeal against the decision also failed.
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What happens if non-residents are caught speeding in Switzerland?
In such cases, the Swiss authorities do not have access or, for that matter, rights to the foreign drivers’ assets.
If foreign nationals are caught speeding on Swiss roads, they will be asked to pay the corresponding fine at once.
And they will face other consequences as well.
In June 2024, for instance, Zurich police stopped four UK nationals who were speeding on a Swiss motorway in their sports cars.
The Brits were driving at over 200 km/h, which is 80 km/h over the posted speed limit.
They were slapped with a fine of several hundred francs each and had their vehicles confiscated pending the investigation.
They then had to wait a while before being able to leave Switzerland in their cars because, unlike their driving, Swiss justice system moves slowly.
Only a month later, in July 2024, police in Graubünden intercepted two other Brits who were speeding — also in sports cars — through the Flüela Pass.
They dashed through the winding mountain pass, where the speed limit is 80 km/hour, at 153 km/h, cantonal police said.
Their fate was the same as their other speeding countrymen’s: police confiscated their cars and seized their driving licenses.
