Fined RM486,000 for Tailgating

Recently, a lawyer was fined RM486,843.91 (US$109,500) for being found guilty of tailgating the vehicle in front of him.

In Malaysia, more and more drivers are increasingly fond of tailgating, or what is commonly known as ‘cucuk angin,’ while driving on highways. This is a dangerous action, even if the driver in front is driving leisurely or “looking for a rental house.” This behavior is often overlooked by enforcement authorities in Malaysia, but the story is different in Switzerland.

The fine was more than double the value of the car he was driving at the time of the incident. Switzerland has strict laws, and fines are calculated based on the offender’s taxable income. In this case, the man, who hails from Aargau in northern Switzerland near the German border, was driving a BMW 540d.

According to the charges in court, the lawyer was accused of driving too close to the vehicle in front of him at 9:35 a.m. in March 2023 on the A1 highway near the district of Kölliken AG. Video footage taken by the police showed that he was tailgating a vehicle in the overtaking lane for 2.6 kilometers at a speed of 110 to 120 km/h, with the distance between the vehicles estimated to be eight to twelve meters.

The High Court sentenced him in August last year to a conditional fine of 50 times the daily rate of 1,970 Swiss Francs (totaling 98,500 Swiss Francs) with a probation period of two years. He was also required to pay an additional fine of 10,000 Swiss Francs.

The man appealed to the Federal Supreme Court, but his appeal was rejected. The Lausanne judge, as reported on Thursday, stated that “the appeal is unfounded.”

According to the portal Bluewin, the judge upheld the reasoning of the High Court, stating that the man’s driving behavior posed a serious risk to the safety of others.