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27,000 francs: the cost of speeding at 290 km/h

Meritxell Mir
Meritxell Mir - [email protected]
27,000 francs: the cost of speeding at 290 km/h
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A Swedish driver caught clocking Formula 1 speeds in Freiburg last year is due to appear in court this week to appeal his hefty fine despite posting an incriminating video of his ‘travel adventures’ on Facebook.

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In August 2010, the 37-year-old Swede drove at 290 km/h in his Mercedes-Benz SLS on the A12 motorway in what was a new record speed at the time.

The driver was stopped by Vaud’s cantonal police between Flamatt and Guin. He was arrested, had his licence taken away, and was handed a 27,000 franc ($30,000) fine.

This Tuesday, more than a year later, he is due to appear in court to appeal the fine. He claims not to have realized he was driving so fast because the speedometer became stuck. 

The driver also posted a video on his Facebook account in which he is shown driving at 260 km/h, the maximum speed that can be shown on his speedometer. The caption claims the journey was undertaken in Germany, and is captioned: “Drive in Berlin.”

However, Freiburg deputy prosecutor Markus Julmy, contacted by newspaper Le Matin Dimanche, said he considers the video “serious enough to become of interest for Swiss courts” and has ordered cantonal police to make further investigations. In the video, recorded by his partner, a child's voice is audible from the back seat.

Another apparent F1 fan was caught last Saturday doing 140 km/h in Münchestein (Basel-Land), on a stretch where the speed limit was 50 km/h. The 22-year-old driver has lost his driving license and will face the courts.

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