I was recently clocked by a camera doing 113 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. Now, this is an Autobahn, but reduced to 80 due to being a tunnel. It's in the canton of Nidwalden, just outside Luzern. After allowances for inaccuracies, it comes down to 27 km/h over the limit. I still have a UK drivers license i.e. not under Swiss jurisdiction.
When issued the penalty by post, I was requested to fill out some information and return within 10 days. This information is basically to admit that I was the driver and to give names of my wife and relatives as well as my current address.
Having posted it, I thought "What should I expect now?" so I called up the Cantonal Polizei to ask them. They told me it's gone to a local minister (I assume they meant judge) and he or she will decide on what the penalty should be.
I've prepared myself for the worse... A fine possibly reaching the dizzy heights of a couple of thousand and the possibility of a driving ban for 1 month. Is this a realistic expectation?
How long have you been in Switzerland? If you've been here more than 12 months without changing your licence over it could open a whole can of worms as a side issue to the speeding fine.
The inference is that you will lose your license for a period of time.
However, back in the late '90s, I was done for 122 in an 80 zone (but it WAS on the highway, just in a reduced speed zone), but in another canton. The other canton can fine you, but your residential canton decides if you get a ban or other fine. The canton in question gave me a CHF 400 fine, my home canton gave me a CHF 35 fine, and no ban.
You know you are facing a 30 day driving ban, so be prepared to stop driving somewhere end of July to end of September. I believe you can still choose the dates within a given period.
As far as I know, this information is still current. You will probably be a pedestrian for a month, but your fine should still be under 1000CHF inc. court costs. (but not including the costs administered by your local canton regarding licence cancellation/re-issue).
Jason, I have just been caught at 120km in an 80km on the autobahn as the speed limit changed and I wasnt aware of it ( Im worried, can you tell me what happened to you. Mine was on the way to Basel in Solotern.
I find the idea of reducing speed limts to 80k for tunnels a bit silly myself. it always causes a traffic jam and for what? because it's a tunnel? What's the safety risk?
Not allowing traffic to maintain a constant speed of 120 is the biggest risk to safety imho.
My thoughts exactly, constant speed increases flow on the roads, reduced pollution, fuel consumption and chances of accidents.....Swiss doesn't seem to get it yet with all their stats or they just intend to do it to make more money
Where I live you never get 120 to 80 for no reason in a tunnel. 120 to 100 is the standard you get all over Switzerland. I've only seen 120 to 80 when there's road works either side of the tunnel or an accident.
100 is fast enough for me in tunnels and apparently most VD plates. VS and FR plates round up to 110 in my experience.
In Vaud 100+ in a restricted 80 on the motorway would get a suspension of licence. They publish the number of suspended licences on the roadworks between Montreux and Lausanne on the A9.
And, of course, such figures do not take into account effects such as night myopia, loss of speed discrimination and other aspects of loss of visual accuity that can be caused by the lower light levels in tunnels.