Finland; a land of awesome rally routes, strange vehicle tax laws and a clever system of graduated speeding tickets based on income. This manner of handing out speeding tickets led to one of Finland’s richest citizens receiving a $130,000 speeding ticket for traveling 18.6 miles per hour over the speed limit.
Andres Wiklöf was traveling 50 mph in a 30 zone in his native home of the Åland Islands when the cops tagged him for speeding, according to ABC News:
Speaking to local media, Wiklöf said that he was aware he was over the speed limit which changed “suddenly” and was attempting to slow down, but did not manage to slow down fast enough.
“I really regret the matter,” he told Åland Island’s main newspaper, Nya Aaland. Wiklöf was also issued with a 10-day driving license suspension.
Under Finland’s “Day-Fine” system, an individual’s income is a key determinant in the size of the fine they are subsequently issued with by law enforcement. Finland was the first Nordic nation to introduce the income-based “Day Fine” system in 1921, and several European nations have followed suit since.
Wiklöf, who owns Wiklöf Holding estimated to be worth $10 million, may regret speeding this time, but this isn’t his first infraction by a long shot. In the last decade Wiklöf has racked up over $300,000 in speeding tickets.
Finland’s been charging drivers based on income and severity of speeding crime committed for over 100 years. It’s proved so successful that other countries have adopted the method. The highest speeding ticket ever issued was in Switzerland for a grand total of $1,091,340 issued to a drive caught traveling an astonishing 105 mph over the speed limit.