Speeding laws have led to thousands of confiscated cars

In Sweden, the penalties are considerably milder. District police officer Pierre Davidsson has experience of that. Last year, he stopped a car driver who was driving four times over the speed limit in central Eslöv.

– He just whizzed past three unguarded pedestrian crossings. I got a measurement of 123 kilometers per hour, where on several stretches it is 30, says Pierre Davidsson.

Reckless driving

The driver was sentenced in April to 40 daily fines for carelessness in traffic. He also had his driver’s license suspended.

– So the fine was not that high, I think it was SEK 2,800. It has led to some irritation among the public, but that is the legislation we have in Sweden, says Pierre Davidsson.

But in Denmark, they have a different approach to this type of speeding. For example, if someone drives twice as high as the permitted speed and over 100 kilometers per hour, or with a blood alcohol level over 2.0, the penalty is generally 20 days in prison and the driver’s license revoked for at least three years.

The cars are sold at auction

In addition, the car is taken and sold at auction. The money goes to the state. Since the law was introduced in 2021, over 2,100 cars have been confiscated. Mogens Kjærgaard Møller thinks the team was effective.

– By taking the cars away from them, they are out of circulation, so it is good for traffic safety to get them off the roads, says Pierre Davidsson.

In Eslöv, the man who drove so fast through the city was caught again just over nine months later. With his driver’s license revoked, he drove straight into an intersection and injured a woman in an oncoming car. The sentence this time was 55 daily fines.

District police officer Pierre Davidsson believes that the Danish legislation would also work to some extent in Sweden.

– Yes, I think so. But not for repeat offenders, because they just get a new car a few days later. But in some cases it can probably be a deterrent, says Pierre Davidsson.