Photo © Ellie Libertine
From 1st January 2013 strict new laws came into force against drivers who speed excessively. This follows an initiative by a Swiss pressure group called RoadCross who have been campaigning for some time against speeding on Swiss roads.
Speeding Excessively is defined as:
- driving at 70 km or more in a 30 km zone
- driving at 100km or more in a 50km zone
- driving at 140km or more in a 80km zone
- driving at 200km or more on the motorway
Excessive speeding or “Raserei” as it known is a criminal offence and drivers caught speeding will be sentenced to prison even if nobody has been seriously injured or killed.
- The speeding driver if found guilty will lose their driving licence for at least two years
- If the offence is repeated they lose their driving licence for life
- Convicted drivers will face 1 to 4 years in jail
- The convicted driver may also have their vehicle confiscated
- It will be illegal to inform drivers about the presence of radars and speed controls
- People found using radar detectors will be fined.
For more information (in German) please see this document. World Radio Switzerland conducted an excellent interview with a representative from RoadCross explaining the new law in more detail please click the link to hear it.
Photo ©Ellie Libertine
