More than 100,000 euros fine for driving at 75km/h on a 50km/h road. A traffic violation that has been very expensive for a Nokia executive in Finland, since the excess speed was only 25 km/h. It is a figure that is remembered as an anecdote today, since the system by which sanctions are carried out is equally curious.
The amount of the fine is due to the fact that in that country there are so-called proportional fines. According to its regulation, when quantifying the sanction is divided between two what a citizen earns on average in a day. For every 25 km/h above the permitted speed, the government adds a twelve-day fine.
Most reckless drivers pay between 30-50 euros per day and 400-500. The max multiplier In Finland it is 120 days, but the fines do not have a maximum limit: the fine is taken as a constant proportion of the income, and therefore the final amount will be different if you earn 80,000 a year or 800,000 a year.
In the case of the Nokia manager, Anssi Vanjoki, the large fine was imposed on him a few years ago, in 2002, but the high level of the penalty means that today he continues to use it as an example: whoever earns more, pays more . The person involved was driving at about 75 kilometers per hour on an urban road in Helsinki, where the legal speed limit was 50 km/h. Due to the high of his salary He was forced to pay a stratospheric fine of 116,000 euros.
In Finland, decades ago, the income of each individual was associated with the amount to be paid for each offence. The system is only applied in specific cases, such as those in which a court ruling is not required. It is generally about minor infractions which by their nature require small quantities for the ordinary citizen. At the moment in which the police detect the offender, check a database in which the results of the previous year’s income appear, returning the proportional fine.
Speed limits in Europe
Speed limits are similar throughout Europe. A) Yes, in Spain, on conventional roads the limit is 90 km/h (cars, motorcycles and buses) and 80 km/h (other vehicles); Meanwhile, on the dual carriageway and motorway there will be three limits: for cars and motorcycles (120 km/h), trucks and vans (90 km/h) and all other vehicles, including buses (100 km/h).
Spain thus joins the majority of European countries, in which the maximum speed on conventional roads is it 80 or 90 km/h. Only Germany, Poland, Romania, Austria and the Netherlands maintain the maximum speed of 100. Recently Hungary and Sweden temporarily lowered their speed limits on highways. In the Nordic country, the reduction from 90 to 80 km/h on its roads reduced the number of deaths by 41%.
In Germany and Austria, on highways and dual carriageways you cannot exceed 130 km/h. On the other hand, non-urban roads do not tolerate exceeding 100 km/h. The same occurs with the Netherlands and Denmark, although on non-urban roads the limit is set at 80 km/h. In Germany, on certain highway sections and depending on the weather and traffic conditions, there is no speed limit and you can go over 300 km/h without being illegal.
Meanwhile in Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary and Greece You can drive at 130 km/h on highways and dual carriageways and at 90 km/h on non-urban roads.
In Estonia, on non-urban roads and motorways or dual carriageways, you cannot exceed 90 km/h, although driving at 110 km/h is allowed on dual carriageways and in summer.
In countries like Belgium and Portugal the speed limits on non-urban roads is 90 km/h and on motorways and dual carriageways 120 km/h. In Ireland the same limits exist, except on non-urban roads (80 km/h).
For those who circulate Cyprusthe maximum speed allowed on highways is 100 km/h, on secondary roads it is 80 km/h and in pedestrian areas, the limit is 30 km/h.
In France the maximum speed in the neighboring country is 130 km/h on highways. On these 130 km/h tracks it is reduced to 110 km/h in rain or when the road is wet. Secondary roads have a speed limit of 90 km/h, which is reduced to 50 km/h when the road surface is wet, it rains or there is poor visibility.
United Kingdom The maximum speed allowed on highways is 112 km/h (at signs, 70 mph), although on roads with two lanes it drops to 96 km/h (60 mph). In the city, the conversion of 30 mph is approximately 48 km/h.
In Norway the speed limit on the motorway is 100 km/h and 80 km/h on interurban roads, and in Sweden you can drive up to 110 km/h on motorways and dual carriageways and 70 km/h on interurban roads.