The Swiss government is clamping down on bad drivers with a road safety campaign that will toughen penalties against speeders starting in January.

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Drivers permits will be suspended for at least two years for motorists caught driving at excessive speeds as part of the “Via sicura” programme adopted by the federal cabinet on Wednesday.

The penalty will apply to drivers who travel at 70 kilometres an hour or more in a 30 km/h zone, at 100 km/h or more in a 50 km/h zone, at 140 km/h or more in an 80 km/h zone  and at 200 km/h or more on autoroutes, where the maximum speed is 120 km/h.

Repeat offenders will lose their licence to drive for life with restoration possible after ten years but only after a favourable psychological report.

Under the new measures, police will be authorized to confiscate the vehicles of drivers involved in excessive speeding to prevent them from repeating such offences.

As of January 1st, the use of radar detectors in vehicles will be banned, in line with legislation already adopted by many European countries.

The programme also raises the minimum age for drivers of animal-drawn vehicles, such as a horse-drawn carriage, to 14 years and establishes a minimum age of six for cyclists on major roads.

The broad outline of the road safety campaign was approved by parliament in June in a bid to make roads and highways safer.

Further measures will be rolled out in 2014 and 2015 in consultation with the cantons.