Driver fined over $200k for speeding in Finland

Copping a speeding ticket is never a pleasant experience, but we don’t think it could get any worse than the €121,000 ($NZ212,842) fine a driver in Finland was hit with for breaking the speed limit.

Businessman Anders Wiklöf was confronted with the hefty charge after he was caught doing 32km/h over the limit in the Åland Islands, a place where fines are determined based on the offender’s income, alongside the severity of the offence.

To add insult to injury, the 76-year old also lost his license for 10 days.

“I really regret the matter,” Wiklöf told Nya Åland newspaper. “I had just started to slow down, but I guess it wasn’t going fast enough and that’s how it went.”

Apparently the speed limit suddenly changed from 70km/h to 50km/h while he was doing 82km/h.

While the $200k+ fine is a large sum of money to be faced with for a mistake that could have easily been avoided, the millionaire hopes it at least gets put to good use.

“But I have heard that they are going to save one and a half billion on healthcare in Finland, so I hope that the money can fill a gap there,” Wiklöf said. “Ideally, I would like them earmarked for that purpose.”

This isn’t the first time he received a hefty speeding fine in Finland either, considering he was ordered to pay a €63,680 ($NZ112,066) infringement in 2018 and was also fined €95,000 ($NZ167,184) for breaking the limit in 2013.