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A driver faces up to $110,000 in fines for speeding on a Swiss street. But he can afford it
The fine reflects Switzerland's wealth-based penalty system that calculates fines using personal income, fortune, and lifestyle to ensure proportional punishment for repeat offenders.
- A wealthy driver was caught speeding 27 kilometers per hour over the limit on a Lausanne street in August 2024 and faces fines up to 90,000 Swiss francs.
- The fine results from a Swiss penal law overhaul approved three years earlier, letting judges set penalties based on offenders' income and financial situation.
- The driver, a repeat offender among Switzerland's richest people, paid 10,000 Swiss francs up front and could owe 80,000 more if caught again within three years.
- An automated police radar recorded the driver at 77 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, and a spokesperson confirmed the defendant did not contest the June 2025 ruling.
- This case highlights Switzerland's unique income-based speeding fines system, which also affected an officer fined in 2016 for racing after bank robbery suspects in Geneva.
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$110,000 for speeding? Inside Switzerland’s wealth-based traffic fines
GENEVA — The driver was clocked going 27 kilometers per hour (17 mph) over the speed limit on a street in the Swiss city of Lausanne, and now he’s facing up to 90,000 Swiss francs (over $110,000) in fines as a result. But he can afford it.
·Portland, United States
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A driver faces up to $153,000 in fines for speeding on a Swiss street. But he can afford it
The driver was clocked going 27 kilometers per hour over the speed limit on a street in the Swiss city of Lausanne, and now he’s facing more than C$153,000 in fines as a result. But he can afford it.
·Canada
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Flashed at 77 km/h in an area at 50 in Lausanne, a French multimillionaire received a fine of 90,000 francs. TF1 made one case.
·Zürich, Switzerland
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Total News Sources20
Leaning Left10Leaning Right2Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Left
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources lean Left
53% Left
L 53%
C 37%
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