European Progressives Strike Again

Meredith Jessup | August 16, 2010 3:30 PM

My guess would be that it's only a matter of time before this policy reaches U.S. shores, but for now, progressives are confined to the European continent with this ridiculous idea:

progressive traffic ticketing.

BBC has the story:

A Swedish motorist caught driving at 290km/h (180mph) in Switzerland could be given a world-record speeding fine of SFr1.08m ($1m; ?656,000), prosecutors say.

The 37-year-old, who has not been named, was clocked driving his Mercedes sports car at 170km/h over the limit.

Under Swiss law, the level of fine is determined by the wealth of the driver and the speed recorded.

Sure this guy was going like 105 mph over the speed limit, but why should someone with a smaller net worth be able to commit the same crime and not face just as harsh of a punishment?

It turns out the $1 million ticket sets a new record for the world's costliest traffic infraction. The prior record belonged to a fellow Swiss speeder who had been traveling just 35mph over the speed limit, but with a net worth of over $20 million, the court ordered him to pay a $290,000 fine.