The $290,000 Speeding Ticket

The record-setting ticket was given to the driver of a red Ferrari Testarossa. Photo: SeeMonterey via Flickr.

It would be a red Ferrari, wouldn’t it?

The Swiss courts just handed down the world’s most expensive speeding ticket: 299,000 Swiss francs, or just under $290,000. According to the BBC, the motorist was barreling through a small village at 85 miles per hour: 35 mph over the speed limit. Because the Swiss, like many European countries, assess higher speeding penalties to those with a greater ability to pay and because he was a repeat offender, this millionaire had to part with a small fortune. In Switzerland, even the rich have a strong incentive to follow traffic laws.