City IndexWhat is the cost of speeding tickets around the world?
No matter where you're driving over the limit, you could pay a pretty penny in fines, but it really depends on the city. This week, City Index compares the costs of speeding tickets around the world.
In terms of social purpose, speed limits are of the same ilk of law as waiting periods for gun purchase and restrictions against subway surfing—governments regulate the pace of traffic to prevent citizens from using technology to hurt themselves or others. But it's hardly a secret that speeding tickets are often a guise for an ulterior motive: revenue generation for local governments. In 2007, Car And Driver magazine reported that rougher economic times often lead to local governments giving out more moving violations. The U.S. pulls in about $6.2 billion in revenue from speeding tickets annually.
One of the most notoriously traffic-ridden cities in the world, Los Angeles, boasts some of the world's costliest speeding tickets. It is also fairly logical that Copenhagen, a city with a high rate of bike traffic, would also boast pricey speeding tickets. No matter where you're speeding in the world, you'll pay a pretty penny in fines, but it may be worth being ever more so cautious in somewhere like Switzerland, where the world's most expensive speeding ticket on record was issued: about $1 million fined to a Swedish man in 2010 who was going about 180 miles/hour in a Mercedes. Speeding in South Africa, on the other hand, ends up being a bargain.
We chose 9 CITIES across the globe, from
Los Angeles to Seoul, to retrieve our data.
Seoul
up to
$82
FINE: 90,000 Won (~$82).
American expats in South Korea report that traffic law is loosely enforced, and South Koreans tend to play fast and loose with the rules of the road.
The cheapest ticket
Johannesburg
up to
$85
Starts at: 250 Rand (~$21) for 10 kilometers/hour (~6 miles/hour) over speed limit. Graduated based on speed.
Goes as high as: 1000 Rand (~$85).
London
up to
$150
FINE: 100 £ (~$150.65)
No laws preventing motorists
from going too slow.
Zurich
$260
or more
STARTS AT: Graduated based on speed, ranging from 40 Swiss Francs (~$42) for going 1 to 5 kilometers/hour over the limit to 250 Swiss Francs (~$260) for going 11 to 15 kilometers/hour (or 6 to 9 miles/hour) over the limit.
GOES AS HIGH AS: Any leadfoot going faster that the 15 km/h threshold is issued a summons for Swiss court, and fines are often based on the driver's personal wealth.
Copenhagen
up to
$364
STARTS AT: 1000 Kroner (~$146) for going 20% faster than the speed limit, 1500 Kroner (~$218) for going between 20% and 30% faster than the speed limit.
GOES AS HIGH AS: 2500 Kroner (~$364) for going over 30% faster than the speed limit.
San Juan (Puerto Rico)
up to
$500
START AT: $50, plus $5 for every mile
over the speed limit.
Goes as high as:
$500 if going 100 miles/hour or more
over the limit.
New York City
up to
$600
STARTS AT: Graduated based on speed and prior violations. Speeding up to 10 miles/hour above the limit can cost anywhere from $90 to $150.
GOES AS HIGH AS: Going over 30 miles/hour could run you up to $600.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, United Nations diplomats tend to get off the hook for traffic violations and, as of 2014, owed the city around $16 million in fines.
Berlin
up to
$760
STARTS AT: Graduated based on speed, and pretty affordable for lower violations. Going 10 kilometers/hour (~6 miles/hour) over the limit runs you 15 euro (~$16).
GOES UP TO: 30 kilometers/hour (~19 miles/hour) over the limir will run 80 euro (~89), and 70 kilometers/hour (~42 miles/hour) over the limit will run 680 euro (~$760).
Speed limits on Germany's highways (the famous autobahns) are generally only enforced during inclement weather. That speed limit is 130 km/h, around 81 mph.
Los Angeles
up to
$804
STARTS AT: Graduated based on speed. Base fees are $35 for going 1 to 15 miles/hour over limit.
GOES AS HIGH AS: $70 for 16 to 25 miles/hour over limit; and $100 for going over 26 miles/hour over limit. But, after a number of fees and surcharges, actual costs of those tickets are $158, $284, and $404 respectively. The real cost of going 100 miles/hour over the limit is $804.
California Research Bureau indicated in a 2006 report that traffic violations bring the state over $500 million annually.
The most expensive ticket
Mike Sugarman
Author
Antwan Duncan
Producer & Photographer