£40,000 speeding ticket for going 14mph over limit

Finnish authorities take a very dim view of speeding, as they demonstrated when they fined one driver a staggering £40,000 for going just 14mph over the limit.

The huge  sum was demanded because in Finland, fines for speeding are scaled up according to the wealth of the law-breaker. 

Unfortunately for this businessman  who was caught travelling at 64mph in a 50mph zone he is a multi-millionaire and the authorities took a peek at his tax return.

Reima Kuisla's tax return showed that he earned 6.5m euros (£4.72m) a year, so they dished out a 54,000 euro fine, the Iltalehti newspaper reported.

The fine has a logic to it, but Mr Kuisla complained bitterly on his Facebook page about the sum he was asked to hand over posting a picture of the ticket and saying: ‘Finland is impossible to live in for certain kinds of people who have high incomes and wealth. I’m considering leaving the country.’

However, sympathy levels in Finland for his plight have been fairly low. One user wrote on the Iltalehti website: ‘He should stop complaining and hang his head in shame instead.’

Law Abiding Motorists Caught Out By Fake Road Sign

 Some law abiding motorists have reportedly been prosecuted after false 40mph signs were erected on a 30mph road near Rotherham for three days before the local council removed them. They appeared so genuine, even a driving instructor was among those who fell foul of them.

The Association of British Drivers has described the prosecutions as ‘outrageous’ and is calling upon the local police force to cancel the penalties.

Brian Macdowall ABD director said “It is outrageous that drivers should be penalised for speeding when they were obeying what they thought was the speed limit, There is a legal requirement on highway authorities to ensure that the correct signs are displayed… the police should also check that a speed limit is correctly signed before starting any enforcement activity. They clearly failed to do so in this case. If these penalties are not revoked it means that even the most law-abiding drivers risk that speed limit signs that cannot be trusted.”

Police told the Telegraph that they couldn’t confirm how many drivers had been prosecuted because of the fake road signs. “Nobody knows where [the signs] came from, The initial indication we have had is… somebody has clearly done it as a joke.” Not so funny for the motorists facing prosecution