Driving along the German autobahns is an exhilarating experience for anybody who has driven on it.
But the German authorities aren’t as forgiving in more urban locations.
Newsweek reports that a German teenager’s joy at obtaining his driver’s license was short-lived. It was suspended less than an hour after he received it after he was caught driving nearly twice the legal speed limit.
teenager in Germany’s joy at getting his driving license was short-lived, after it was suspended less than an hour after he received it because he was was caught going nearly twice the speed limit.
Traffic police stopped the 18-year-old traveling at 95 km/h (59 mph) in Iserlohn, near Dortmund/ That speed is well over the posted speed limit in the area of 50 km/h (31 mph).
The young man had been taking his car for a spin with his friends to celebrate getting his license after passing his test just 49 minutes before.
His penalty will keep him away from the wheel for at least a month. His probationary period has been doubled from two to four years. He will also be fined 200 euros ($228) and forced to take additional driving lessons.
“Some things last forever, others not for an hour,” German police said in a statement, according to the BBC.
There is no posted speed limit for most German highway, but there are tight speed restrictions in more built-up areas. Police are also notoriously unforgiving for speeders in those areas.
Newsweek reports those who flout those speed rules could face fines of up to 680 euros ($775) and driving bans of up to three months, Deutsche Welle reported.
Speeding apparently is a problem across the continent. The mayor of a village in northeastern Italy set up a traffic camera at a pedestrian crossing in Acquetico, which is located about 80 miles east of Genoa.
Newsweek reports that video evidence indicates there were more than 58,000 speeding drivers at the location in a two-week period.
