Le Matin. Last Friday, a 30 year old portuguese national was flashed by a speed camera going 185 km/h in an 80 km/h zone in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The speeding happened on a stretch of road between Trübbach and Sevelen. Penalties for speeding offenses like this, defined as reckless, are severe in Switzerland. In this […]
Before-tax car fuel prices up to 32% higher in Switzerland
If you live in Switzerland, filling up your car across the border can save you a packet, depending on the country and fuel type. While savings sometimes come from lower fuel taxes, much of them comes from the lower underlying prices foreign fuel retailers charge. And it is difficult to argue that you’re paying a premium for a higher quality product. Switzerland – […]
Swiss police get tough on noisy motor cyclists, but will it work?
We have all heard them. Those big thundering noisy bikes that stop conversations and leave your ears ringing. Swiss police in Vaud started to crackdown on noise last year and continue to target noise polluters, especially motorcyclists. Why are these motorbikes allowed on Swiss roads? Some are and some are not. Switzerland has adopted EU […]
Geneva car show 2016. What’s under the cover?
On 3 March 2016, the rubber hits the stage at the Geneva car show. The show runs until 13 March. Tickets are CHF 16 per adult, reduced to CHF 8 after 4pm. The show is at Palexpo, next to Geneva airport. There are too many cars to mention them all so here are videos of two of the […]
A good reason to scrape snow and ice off your car before driving
This video was posted by Vaud’s police on their Facebook page. The driver is in the United States however the message is universal. For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Stiffer rules for Swiss ticket cheats from January
A new law allows travellers caught without a valid train or bus ticket on Swiss public transport to be recorded in a national database from 1 January 2016. Train and bus staff across Switzerland will soon have access to a national database allowing them to identify those with a habit of cheating. Currently there is […]
Could Switzerland’s speed limit go up to 140 km per hour?
Le Matin. That is the hope of a group collecting signatures for a national vote on the subject. They would like to see the maximum speed on Swiss motorways increase from 120 km/hour to 140 km/hour. Last Friday the vote’s initiators, a group of seven young people from Zurich, claimed to have collected 90,000 of […]
Court cancels speeding fine after owner claims not to know who was driving
On 1 September 2015, 24 Heures reported that a former mayor of Nyon lost a court battle to have a speeding offense overturned. He claimed innocence, and while the resulting investigation revealed big questions about the accuracy of speed camera photographs, he lost. The Vaud court sided with the police who argued that it is […]
Swiss government makes big money from small speeding offenses
Tribune de Genève. According to the newspaper the number of fines has increased by 8.4% to 773,000. The increase in the number of small fines is particularly marked. In 2014 the state raked in CHF 70 million of traffic fines, the highest in seven years and a 21% increase on 2013. In 2013 the margin […]
Strict Swiss drink drive laws to be loosened
20 Minutes. Since 1 January 2014, driving a heavy vehicle after drinking any amount of alcohol is prohibited. Heavy vehicles include fire engines and many farm vehicles. In particular this strict rule has made life difficult for farmers and volunteer fire brigades, which form a large part of Swiss fire services. Sometimes these people need […]
