Photo: BMW
The punishment must fit the crime, but each country has a different take and approach to retributive justice. In Germany, for instance, reckless driving will cost you more than a fine and a suspended license: you could also stand to lose the vehicle you’re doing the reckless driving in.
One young driver from Ludwigsburg, Germany is learning this the hard way, Stuttgarter Nachrichten is reporting (hat tip to CarScoops). A judge just ordered him to sell his BMW 440i or risk having the state seize it, in which case he won’t see a dime for it. A portion of the money from the sale will go to the state.
In April this year, after a session of burnouts with his pals at a local parking spot, the 23-year-old driver made the questionable decision of fleeing the cops when a patrol unit showed up. That would have been pretty bad on its own, but he didn’t stop here: he raced through the city streets, blowing up red lights and forcing evasive maneuvers on other drivers, and he jumped over sidewalks.
The police pursued him for as long as it was deemed safe to do so. One police officer in the patrol unit admitted that they gave up at one point because their car would have had to go past 120 kph (74.5 mph) within city limits, where maximum legal speed is either 30 or 50 kph (18.6 or 31 mph). They eventually caught up with him after he parked the BMW at a local fire station. One of the firefighters noticed his speeding entrance and alerted the police.
In court, the BMW driver claimed he had some sort of “blackout” when he saw the police because he was stressed by extended lockdowns and travel restrictions in the area, which had impacted both his personal and professional life. Once the panic subsided, he pulled over and handed himself over to the officers, he claimed.
The judge didn’t buy it, saying he’d turned a fast car into a “weapon” and that it was only luck that kept him from harming someone with it. The man already had his driver’s license suspended for six months, to which the judge added another six, and a €7,000 (approximately $8,200) fine payable from the sale of his car. Should he fail to sell it within three months, the state will confiscate it.
In April this year, after a session of burnouts with his pals at a local parking spot, the 23-year-old driver made the questionable decision of fleeing the cops when a patrol unit showed up. That would have been pretty bad on its own, but he didn’t stop here: he raced through the city streets, blowing up red lights and forcing evasive maneuvers on other drivers, and he jumped over sidewalks.
The police pursued him for as long as it was deemed safe to do so. One police officer in the patrol unit admitted that they gave up at one point because their car would have had to go past 120 kph (74.5 mph) within city limits, where maximum legal speed is either 30 or 50 kph (18.6 or 31 mph). They eventually caught up with him after he parked the BMW at a local fire station. One of the firefighters noticed his speeding entrance and alerted the police.
In court, the BMW driver claimed he had some sort of “blackout” when he saw the police because he was stressed by extended lockdowns and travel restrictions in the area, which had impacted both his personal and professional life. Once the panic subsided, he pulled over and handed himself over to the officers, he claimed.
The judge didn’t buy it, saying he’d turned a fast car into a “weapon” and that it was only luck that kept him from harming someone with it. The man already had his driver’s license suspended for six months, to which the judge added another six, and a €7,000 (approximately $8,200) fine payable from the sale of his car. Should he fail to sell it within three months, the state will confiscate it.
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