Getting a speeding fine is bad enough, but in Finland it could hit your bank account even harder.
That's because in Finland, speeding fines as well as other traffic fines, and fines for shoplifting and violating securities-exchange laws are assessed based on earnings.
Advert
For those trying to work out how the Finnish system works, it's reported to be quite simple. The system estimates the amount of spending money a Finn has for one day, and then divides that by two to work out a 'reasonable' amount of spending money to deprive the offender of.
Then based on how severe the crime is, the system then follows rules for how many days the offender must go without that money.
This can range from 12 days to up to 22 days, with speeding more than 15 mph expected to meet the 12-day supplier mark and going 25 mph over carries a 22-day multiplier.
The most reckless drivers pay between €30 and €50 per day, for a total of about €400 or €500. Finland’s maximum multiplier is 120 days, but there's no limit on the fines themselves. The fine is taken as a constant proportion of income whether you make €80,000 a year or €800,000, so can be hefty dependent on how much you were speeding.
Advert
Some examples of eye-watering fines include a Nokia executive in 2002 who received a ticket for $103,000 for going 45 in a 30mph zone.
Another shocker includes Reima Kuisla, a Finnish businessman, was caught driving his car at a speedy 65mph in a 50mph zone, who was then handed a fine of €54,000 due to his yearly earnings of €6.5 million.
Other countries that also follow a 'sliding scale' system include Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland. However, the UK and USA have more statutory 'flat-rate' fines.
Advert
Yet the Finnish aren't feeling hard done by. In fact, they prefer their income-based system.
Tapio Lappi-Seppälä, director of the University of Helsinki’s Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy, says that an overwhelming majority of Finns still support the fines: "It is a matter of social justice and equal impact of punishment."
With the Finnish system in place, those on the lowest income won't be hit with the same punishment as those earning millions.
Advert
However, the best way to avoid a fine and having to shell out any of your hard-earned income would be to not break the law in the first place...
Niamh Spence