$217,000 speeding fine

[TransformX]

Finn hit with record speeding fine

HELSINKI, Finland (Reuters) -- One of Finland's richest men has been fined a record 170,000 euros ($217,000) for speeding through the center of the capital, police said on Tuesday.

Jussi Salonoja, 27, heir to his family's sausage business, was caught driving 80 km per hour (50 miles per hour) in a 40 kph (25 mph) zone last Thursday, the police said.

Finnish traffic fines vary according to the offender's income and, according to tax office data, Salonoja's 2002 earnings were close to seven million euros.

The final penalty could still change when the case is eventually heard by a Helsinki court, as was the case with Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki, whose 116,000-euro speeding fine was slashed by 95 percent in 2002 due to a drop in income.

If Salonoja's penalty stands, it will beat a speeding fine of more than 80,000 euros paid by Internet millionaire Jaakko Rytsola in 2000, and the 35,000-euro fine imposed on Nokia President Pekka Ala-Pietila in 2001 for running a red light.

[KvHagedorn]

I'm all for soaking the rich, but this is outta hand.

[az]

I like the system. For someone making 2000 EUR a month, a 200 EUR speeding fine would mean a lot, someone making 500000 EUR a month would just laugh at it. Let it hurt him as much as it hurts the not-so-rich, sack the same percentage of his income that you would charge a poor man.

AZ

[KvHagedorn]

Well, imho, 200 EUR is too much for normal people to have to pay for speeding. Speeding fines are just a lame excuse for legalized highway robbery. A guy I work with got a $250 ticket for being parked in a handicapped spot for 2 minutes at a convenience store. This store is right across from our workplace, and I have NEVER seen a handicapped person use it. He only got the ticket because some busybody bitch insisted that a cop give it to him.

And, no, he could not easily afford that with his pay.

Now, if the fine was $1000 for rich folks and $40 for us poor ones, that would be a bit more reasonable.

[Umfriend]

Still, that was wat az was going at, he just got the ratios a bit wrong.

Having said that, that guy parked in a handicaped spot? Why do people have no morals anymore, what is the world comming to? At the supermarket where I do my shopiong, there are 8 (eight) handicaped spots. I have never ever seen more than one at a time used by a handicaped person (although one reason for that could be that more often than not the others are taken by non-handicapped people). Now I agree those 8 are too many, but then ask the supermarket or municiplaltiy to reconsider FCOL! Don't just park there because you know better and should be allowed to bend the rules. Condoning this sort of behaviour brings nothing but disaster, where do you stop?

[Paddy]

Well, imho, 200 EUR is too much for normal people to have to pay for speeding. Speeding fines are just a lame excuse for legalized highway robbery. A guy I work with got a $250 ticket for being parked in a handicapped spot for 2 minutes at a convenience store. This store is right across from our workplace, and I have NEVER seen a handicapped person use it. He only got the ticket because some busybody bitch insisted that a cop give it to him.

I have no problem with that at all
That parking space is there for a reason, even if you have never seen it used.

[Umfriend]

Well, $250 may be a bit harsh if it's the first offense, but otherwise I'd agree.

[az]

Disclaimer: I don't have a driving license (yet), so I don't know about fines

But I know it costs a lot more to offend a policeman than it does to drive while talking with you mobile. If the fines are too low, people won't bother adhering to the law

AZ

[Umfriend]

Oh, I am all for heavy fines on offending and/or assaulting civil servants, teachers (we apparantly take after killing them lately ) etc. Not that other fines should be meaningless.

Getting close to one a day...

[Elie]

This is pure madness, if you look a t the laws of traffic violations, there is a set fine for x amount of KMPH over the speed limit.
So no matter who it is behind the wheel should get fined the same as everyone else!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Just because the guy is rich you don't set new rules for them!!!!!

I think the Finnish government is in need of the extra cash and found a great excuse to do so!

That never happens here in Canada, a fine is set no matter what.

Cheers,
Elie

[KvHagedorn]

Well, you folks obviously have no idea what it's like to try and live out on your own on $13,000 per year. $250 is a huge amount to have to shell out for doing nothing that hurt anyone. He was in there for 2 MINUTES and every other space was being used! Let's be reasonable, here.. he wasn't hurting anybody, and got arbitrarily reamed for nothing. Like I said, it's a fricken 7-11, it's right across the street, I'm in there all the time, and I've NEVER seen a handicapped person in there. I agree we should have spaces and ramps for people with disabilities, but to steal a whole week's pay from someone for parking in one for 2 MINUTES is completely out of hand.

[The PIT]

Presuming he knew the law it's tough he should have used his Brain first. He can't complain it's his own fault, tough titty and pay up yeh rich git.

Dunno what KVH is on about the guy was speeding not parking.

[az]

I disagree, Elie. A fixed fine means that rich people are basically above the law. Imagine if a fine was $ 2.50 - would you care? But 200 dollars are nothing for someone making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, so the fine would be no punishment, and would not work as a deterrent. Fixed fines are like having prison days divided through income - nobody would deem this right, everybody has to serve the whole sentence, regardless of income. It hurts poor and rich people alike. So monetary punishment should hurt poor and rich people alike, too.

AZ

[gt40]

A $200 fine isn't going to deter a rich person from speeding or parking in a handicapped spot. You have to make it hurt - if your real goal is preventing breaking of traffic laws. If you are merely collecting revenue then keeping the fines affordable will make sure they will offend again.
The poor soul who is hit with one weeks salary for a fine, now he will think twice before doing it again.
For these reason I like the Finnish system. If he was given just a 200 dollar fine, he probably would have been speeding again as soon as he was out of view of the police - I have seen this first hand.

[KvHagedorn]

Originally posted by az
I disagree, Elie. A fixed fine means that rich people are basically above the law. Imagine if a fine was $ 2.50 - would you care? But 200 dollars are nothing for someone making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, so the fine would be no punishment, and would not work as a deterrent. Fixed fines are like having prison days divided through income - nobody would deem this right, everybody has to serve the whole sentence, regardless of income. It hurts poor and rich people alike. So monetary punishment should hurt poor and rich people alike, too.

AZ

Like I said, I agree with this, but $217,000 is way too much to fine anyone for doing 50 in a 35, I don't care who it is. If you are poor, $200 is out of hand for this same "offense." I've known people who had to spend 3 days in jail because they were too poor to come up with a massive fine for something really stupid like this.