Keeping too short a distance to the car in front is not only illegal, but can also be a direct traffic hazard, and in Sweden can lead to a fine of a few thousand kroner.
In Switzerland, however, the penalties can be much more severe, as the 58-year-old driver of a BMW 540d experienced last year, reports Blue News.
Read more: Are cyclists allowed to run a red light? That’s what the law says
BMW drivers kept too short a distance
According to the local police authority, it was in March 2023 that the BMW driver was caught on the A1 motorway near Zurich.
The driver maintained a speed of up to 124 km/h, which is higher than permitted, and he was also very close to the car in front. This went on over a distance of several kilometers.
The distance to the car in front is said to have been between 8 and 12 meters, which at highway speed is considered decidedly substandard.
Read more: Formula 1 designer’s new job — salary of 400 million a year
1.3 million in fines
Being too close to the car in front at high speeds can undoubtedly be dangerous, and in many countries leads to fines of a few thousand kroner.
In Switzerland, however, daily fines are applied for traffic violations, and if you make good money, it will therefore quickly become expensive.
The BMW driver in question was found to have a taxable income of just under 1.7 million Swiss francs, corresponding to just over SEK 200 million.
Consequently, the total sum the man had to pay came to a whopping 108,500 Swiss francs, corresponding to just over SEK 1.3 million.
Read more: The Swedish Transport Agency raises several fees – so you will be affected
The millionaire takes on the police
The fined BMW driver, who happens to be a lawyer, fought the fine and took the case to court.
The defense revolved around whether the police had followed proper procedures in connection with the traffic stop, and that video was not a reliable method of estimating distances between vehicles.
However, the court did not follow the fined driver’s line, and he was not acquitted of the traffic offence.
Among other things, the BMW driver will also be obliged to pay the court costs and his own legal fees.
Read more: Here is the world’s oldest Volvo – found in Sweden