Speeding is not good!
“You are charged with travelling at 85 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre zone. How do you plead?”
“Guilty, Your Honour.”
“Very well. I will take a moment to review your prior offences history, if any.”
The thing about this is that probably every driver that ever lived has committed this offence. In fact when the police want to catch a lot of speeders they set up the radar where speed is reduced because drivers are very bad about adhering to slow-down zones.
Part of the fault lies in the road administration in the way that signs are placed. There is one stretch where you are leaving a town and a speed limit of 50. You come upon a sign that says 80 is the limit from here. Just as you get your speed up to 80 there’s a sign saying 50. You would have to brake very hard to be in compliance.
It is very commonplace to come upon a series of signs that require the driver to reduce his speed from 120 down to 40. The law says that as you pass each sign your speed may not be more than that stated on the sign. Again, it is just about impossible to achieve what they want without emergency braking.
Those elements apart, Spain’s drivers just don’t have the discipline that German and Dutch drivers posses. Those drivers are always anticipating they will have to slow down and they are very good about observing the rules without question. (Sometimes.)
“You are charged with travelling at 85 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre zone. How do you plead?”
“Guilty, Your Honour.”
“Very well. I will take a moment to review your prior offences history, if any.”
The thing about this is that probably every driver that ever lived has committed this offence. In fact when the police want to catch a lot of speeders they set up the radar where speed is reduced because drivers are very bad about adhering to slow-down zones.
Part of the fault lies in the road administration in the way that signs are placed. There is one stretch where you are leaving a town and a speed limit of 50. You come upon a sign that says 80 is the limit from here. Just as you get your speed up to 80 there’s a sign saying 50. You would have to brake very hard to be in compliance.
It is very commonplace to come upon a series of signs that require the driver to reduce his speed from 120 down to 40. The law says that as you pass each sign your speed may not be more than that stated on the sign. Again, it is just about impossible to achieve what they want without emergency braking.
Those elements apart, Spain’s drivers just don’t have the discipline that German and Dutch drivers posses. Those drivers are always anticipating they will have to slow down and they are very good about observing the rules without question. (Sometimes.)
Should you be unfortunate to be ticketed for speeding you will have to pay a fine. Apart from being a punishment a fine is also intended to teach the driver a lesson. So, let’s now return to the court case that is in session in St. Gallen, East Switzerland.
“The Court can see that you have a number of convictions for speeding and other driving offences. It would appear that you have not learned your lesson as yet. Under the circumstances this Court feels it must impose a fine that will get your attention. You are therefore fined euros 180,000.”
It is just as well that the court did not suspend his licence as he has five cars. He also has fourteen million dollars, so maybe a fine of this magnitude will get his attention. Maybe not!
Apart from the dialogue, which I have had to assume, this is a true story. The fine amounted to 5,142 euros per kilometre over the limit. That would certainly get my attention.
Copyright © Eugene Carmichael 2010
