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Speedometer in use (symbolic image)
Photo: Patrick Seeger / picture alliance / dpa
The fact that speed offenders in road traffic are often punished much more severely in other European countries than in Germany is basically nothing new.
Among other things, the recurring reports from Norway are legendary, where fines can be imposed depending on the level of income - and where particularly rich people can easily accumulate many tens of thousands of euros.
But many tourists have also experienced on their own wallet how expensive a speed camera photo can be in Norway, Sweden or Italy.
And in Switzerland, too, there are penalties based on monthly earnings.
Denmark has also tightened the rules since last year.
And what that means is made clear by the case of a man who was tried in a court in the town of Lyngby.
It was about a 42-year-old who had driven more than 210 instead of the permitted 110 kilometers per hour on the highway.
He now has to go to jail for 20 days for his transgressions while driving a borrowed Porsche.
In addition, the driver loses his driver's license for three years.
Punishment would have been significantly lower in Germany
The verdict also spelled bad luck for the friend from whom the man had borrowed the leased Porsche 993: the car was confiscated and sold.
The income goes into the state coffers.
This is possible after a stricter Raser law.
After that, the police can confiscate cars that have been driven particularly recklessly – for example, at speeds above 200 km/h or with more than two per thousand alcohol in the blood.
The rule applies regardless of whether the driver is also the owner of the car.
The law came into force in Denmark on March 31, 2021.
A day later, the man was caught speeding.
In Germany, the catalog of fines was last adjusted in November 2021.
Among other things, speed violations became more expensive, but the driving ban limits remained the same.
Wrong parking and stopping in the second row also became noticeably more expensive.
An out-of-town speeding comparable to the incident in Denmark would result in a fine of 700 euros plus fees and expenses, as well as two points in Flensburg and a three-month driving ban.
chs/dpa
