Fine Driving Fine

A few days ago I received a nice letter from the government of Switzerland, thanking me for bringing my motorcycle and my tourist Euros to their beautiful albeit neutral country back in April and politely inviting me to visit again soon. Oh and by the way, would I please immediately send them €80 for going 10 kph over the speed limit in some little town. Gack!

Driving (not riding) in Germany I’ve gotten two “Blitzer” (radar speed camera) tickets for the same infraction of driving ten over, yet each one only cost me €15. Okay, that’s fair; I think. It’s kind of like an annual tax on my driving style. But €80? That’s steep. I mean, c’mon – is there a cop in America who’d even bother putting down his donut for 6 mph over the posted.? I don’t think so. Imagine getting popped in Heidiland for really speeding, like 50 kph over – you’d need to take out a second mortgage to pay that fine. If they catch you in person you have to pay on the spot. They do take credit cards.

2009 UPDATE: If you’re caught going more than 50 kph over the limit, they can take up to a third of your annual income. Read that sentence again.

I was planning of touring Switzerland next month with riding buddy Manfred, now I’m not so sure I want to. In Germany, Italy and Austria at least you get a fair chance – they only use cameras that take photos from the front which means bikes can’t be ID’d. To catch bikes, the cops have to stand roadside with the radar gun. You can usually spot them in time, especially if the opposite direction motorists flash their lights like they usually do. But the Swiss are getting all tricky now, using lasers mounted in the center divider of the motorway and cameras that take your picture as you’re riding away, like the one that nailed me.

Someone in the UK sells a spray that makes your license plate too shiny to be photographed since all speed cameras use a flash. I asked around and was told that the cops can still read your plate using computer technology to digitally enhance the photo, and then the penalty is an automatic loss-of-license. Okay, scrub that plan. I guess I’ll just ride slow in Switzerland.