A 22-year-old German has starred one of the most talked about chases of the last few weeks in Switzerland. And his journey through the gotthard tunnelone of the busiest arteries in Europe on the way to Italy, ended with an average speed that was triple the permitted limit, a positive drug test and a permanent ban on driving throughout the country. Below these lines we tell you all the details.
what has happened. According to informed Uri cantonal police, the driver was driving south on the A2 motorway at dawn when, before reaching the northern portal of the St. Gotthard tunnel, he overtook another vehicle on the right, invading a delimited area. Once inside the tunnel, he wanted to continue freaking out.
Accumulating fines. Once inside the almost 17 kilometers of tunnel, the young man carried out up to 21 overtaking maneuvers on a road with a double continuous line. Their average speed, calculated by the agents, was 171.8 km/h, more than double the limit allowed in the tunnel, which is 80 km/h. Normally, it would take a driver around 13 minutes to go through the tunnel. This guy did it in six minutes.
Between the lines. The Gotthard tunnel is one of the most important mountain passes of Europe and one of the preferred routes for German tourists traveling to Italy, especially in the summer months. Precisely because of its intense traffic and its two-way route, any overtaking maneuver poses a risk of collision. The tunnel also has more than a hundred cameras and sensors that allow these types of violations to be captured in detail. So there was little he could do to escape the historical burden that fell on him.
The consequences. The Ticino cantonal police finally managed to intercept the driver at the exit of the tunnel, immediately imposing a driving ban on him throughout Swiss territory. In addition, they demanded bail of several thousand euros, an amount that has not been revealed. Added to this is that the rapid drug test to which he was subjected tested positiveso now a blood test is also pending.
Crime. The young man faces a complaint for serious speeding violation. According to collect According to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, since a legal reform in 2023, Swiss courts have more room for maneuver when imposing sentences, which in some cases allows the prison sentence to be replaced by a fine if it is a first offense. Even so, according to the media, the law contemplates in these cases a minimum penalty of one year in prison, in addition to a fine and withdrawal of the license, and in the most serious cases the vehicle used may even be confiscated.
The driver is now free, although he remains under investigation while the judicial proceedings progress.
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