Saturday, January 9, 2010

  Highest speeding fine - Ferrari Testarossa driver sets world record

 ST. GALLEN,  Switzerland -- A Swiss cantonal court has slapped a wealthy Ferrari driver with a $290,000 speeding fine - which sets the new world record for the Highest speeding fine - after the motorist reportedly drove through a village in a candy red Ferrari Testarossa at 137 km/h, which was 57 km/h over the speed limit.

   Judges at the cantonal court in St. Gallen, in eastern Switzerland, said they based the fine on the speeder's estimated wealth of over $20 million US and the fact he was a repeat offender. (enlarge photo)

  ''The accused ignored elementary traffic rules with a powerful vehicle out of a pure desire for speed,'' the court said in its judgment.

   In 2002, Swiss voters approved replacing prison terms for some offences, including speeding, with fines based on income, reports Wired.

   The penalty is twice Switzerland's previous record speeding fine and more than the cost of the red Ferrari Testarossa he was driving.

   In October, St Gallen police pulled over another speeding motorist after he committed 15 traffic offences in 10 minutes, including driving on the hard shoulder, jumping a red light and failing to stop for police.

  Prior to breaking the 30mph limit he had been caught speeding at 85mph on country roads, where the limit is 50.

   Court clerk Heidi Baumann-Becker said the unidentified driver can appeal the decision, handed down in November, to the Swiss Supreme Court. There is no word on whether the motorist plans to appeal.

    The Swiss daily Blick reported that the judges also ruled that he was a ''roadhog''. The newspaper noted that he had some fast friends on his Facebook page, including the racing drivers Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen.

   The defendant had initially refused to appear before the court, claiming that his status as a diplomat from Guinea-Bissau gave him immunity. However, the court refused to recognise his status - nor his claims that his diplomatic number plates must have fallen off.

  The previous Guinness world record for the Highest speeding fine was 111,000 francs, set by a Porsche driver in Zurich in 2008, also imposed after a string of previous traffic offences.

   Related world records:  Transport world records

   Saturday, January 9, 2010