A driver in Finland faces a staggering $130,000 fine for speeding.
Besides the fine, the wealthy driver is grappling with the suspension of his driver's license for the next ten days.
Finland Driver Fined Over $130,000 For Speeding
Police checks documents in the morning at a traffic control post in Lohja, on March 30, 2020 amid the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
One driver in Finland just learned the hard way that speed is costly. According to ABC Australia, A Finnish driver has been fined a whopping 21,000 euros or roughly USD 130,000 for speeding.
Finland's law enforcement authorities delivered an astronomical slap on the wrist to a motorist driving way too fast. The driver, Anders Wiklöf, reportedly drove as fast as 82 kilometers per hour or around 51 miles per hour last weekend when the authorities stopped him and issued him a ticket. However, the speed limit is only 50 kilometers per hour (31 miles per hour).
Wiklöf apologetically spoke to a news outlet in Aaland Islands, Finland's autonomous region in the Baltic Sea. The wealthy driver says, "I really regret the matter."
As per ABC News Go, it is not the first instance Wiklöf figured in such a speeding incident. A few years ago, or in 2018, to be exact, the driver faced another staggering fine worth the tune of $68,176. Five years before that, he also paid a hefty $102,000 fine.
The Aaland native turns out to be the holding company chairman. His firm dives into various businesses, such as real estate, tourism, trade, and logistics. The company also offers to transport services via a chopper.
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Fines Based on Income
Finnish border guard officers look at cars queueing at the Vaalimaa border crossing between Finland and the Russian Federation on September 30, 2022.
The high fine is due to Finland's strict traffic laws. The country has a zero-tolerance policy for speeding. And fines are based on a driver's income. But the driver's high income resulted in a pretty hefty fine in this case.
According to Euro News, fines in Finland, unlike most countries across the globe, have no fixed price. It could be cheaper or astronomically expensive. And besides basing it on the suspect's income, it also depends on how fast you go. The more you exceed the speed limit, you will receive fines for more days, determining the overall pricing.
A police officer told Euro News, "If you are in a good job, you have a quite high income, the ticket is higher." The authority further explains that "the minimum is six euros per day fine, so it is always at least that, but it can go all the way to tens of thousands."
The high fine has raised some eyebrows, but it has also served as a reminder of the importance of following traffic laws. Switzerland also applies the same measure, apart from Finland.
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