Swiss millionaire faces 105,000 euro fine for pushing

Anyone driving through Switzerland should follow all the rules meticulously – because the Swiss are not joking when it comes to speeding. Switzerland is particularly well-known for its horrendous fines for exceeding the speed limit. But other offenses can also be very expensive.

Swiss media, such as “”, report that a millionaire is paying dearly for tailgating on the highway – and could even be far more expensive. The 58-year-old is said to have driven too close to the car in front of him on the A1 near Kölliken in the canton of Aargau in March 2023.

In Switzerland you should keep a distance of “half a speedometer”

The public prosecutor’s office accuses the man of having significantly undercut the minimum distance at a speed of 110 to 120 kilometers per hour. The police video recording is said to cover a distance of 2.4 kilometers, and the officers estimated the distance to be eight to twelve meters – the prescribed distance at this speed is around 60 meters, i.e. “half the speedometer.”

The driver was initially given a penalty order for this violation, which he fought against. In the first instance, a court found him guilty and sentenced the millionaire to a conditional fine of 50 daily rates of 1,970 francs each, or 98,500 francs. This would be around 105,000 euros. The sum is based on the man’s income, which was calculated at 1.7 million francs in net annual earnings. Once the offense reaches a certain level of severity, Switzerland no longer calculates fixed fines, but instead bases them on individual income.

The conditional fine, however, saved the man from having to pay immediately – because it only comes into effect if he is caught committing a similar offence within two years. As an additional “warning”, however, the court imposed an immediate fine of 15,000 francs (around 16,000 euros) on him.

Less distance due to “distance warning and sports brakes”

The man appealed and pointed out that the officers had made a formal error and had forgotten to inform him of his rights during the interrogation. He also stated that he should not have expected that the driver in front of him would suddenly brake and that his car would have stopped in time thanks to the distance warning system and sports brakes.

The man’s interpretation of the incident was also unsuccessful in the second instance: the court reduced his immediate sentence to 10,000 francs, but confirmed the suspended fine. The man therefore faces the aforementioned 98,500 francs over the next two years if he is again caught driving too close to the police.

The 58-year-old now has two options: either he accepts the punishment and pays the fine (alternatively, six days in prison would be an option) or he has to go to the Swiss Federal Court. Incidentally, he does not benefit from the reduction in his “warning” that he won: the legal costs incurred amount to exactly 5,000 francs.