A 46-year-old motorcyclist from the United Kingdom caused chaos in the Gotthard Tunnel on August 30 when he overtook dozens of vehicles before being stopped by Swiss police.
Video surveillance by Ticino police showed that the man seriously endangered other drivers when he speeded past a total of 47 vehicles – including two trucks and 45 cars.
Such maneuvers are prohibited in the two-lane tunnel, The Local writes, reports albinfo.ch.
He was stopped by Uri police when he exited the northern portal of the tunnel.
The man was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and was banned from driving in Switzerland.
British people behaving badly (on Swiss roads)
Swiss police may already be used to catching speeding Brits.
This particular person is the latest in a growing line of UK citizens who have travelled on Swiss roads without respecting the rules.
By June 2025, a British driver was arrested in Uri when he was recorded travelling at a speed of 161 km/h, exceeding the speed limit of 80 km/h – in other words, he was driving at double the speed limit.
But he wasn't even the first.
During the summer of 2024, Zurich cantonal police stopped four UK citizens who were speeding on a Swiss motorway in their sports cars.
They were reportedly driving at over 200 km/h – 80 km/h above the speed limit.
And that's not all.
Just a month later, in July 2024, police in Graubünden intercepted two other Britons who were driving at speed – also in sports cars – through the Flüela Pass.
They sped through the tight curves on the mountain pass, where the speed limit is 80 km/h, at 153 km/h.
What happens to these speeders when they get caught?
In addition to the seizure of their vehicles and the ban on their movement on Swiss roads, their fate is in the hands of a judge in the canton where they were caught.
However, drivers caught speeding “seriously” in Switzerland – regardless of their nationality – are usually sentenced to a fine of at least several hundred francs (and in many cases even more), in addition to court fees.
The fine can also be converted into a prison sentence if offenders are unable or choose not to pay.
So British speeding offenders are likely to have paid hefty fines, plus perhaps the cost of having their vehicles towed from Switzerland, before the country broke away from Brexit.
Perhaps this is a good time for a general reminder about speeding fines.
It depends on where you were caught and how fast you were driving.
If you exceed the speed limit by up to 5 km/h, your fine will be 20 francs on the highway and 40 francs if the violation occurred on a main or secondary road.
The fine for driving between 6 and 10 km/h over the legal limit is 60 francs on the highway, 100 on main roads and 120 francs in residential areas.
Driving 11 to 15 km/h over the speed limit will cost you 120 francs on the highway, 160 on the main road and 250 in residential areas.
For serious speeding violations above 25 km/h, additional fines will be imposed.
For example, your driving license may be suspended for a period of one to three months, depending on speed and location.
Furthermore, if you exceed the speed limit by 25 km/h in built-up areas, 30 km/h on main roads or 35 km/h on motorways, your violation will be recorded in the criminal convictions register and will remain there, for everyone, for a certain period of time.
It wouldn't look good if you're looking for a job or an apartment, as employers and landlords regularly ask to see a copy of your criminal record.
Also, if you cause an accident while speeding or if you drive while intoxicated, the penalties will be more severe.
Are the rules the same for foreign drivers?
Now, you might think that speeding in a non-Swiss car would grant you immunity from paying a fine. But if you believe that, you're wrong.
If you were caught in Switzerland but live in the European Union, expect your Swiss fine to arrive in the mail eventually.
This is because Switzerland and the EU share details of drivers caught committing traffic violations in their respective territories.
This data is shared through the European Vehicle and Driving Licence Information System (Eucaris), which holds data on all vehicle owners in Europe.
Most importantly for Brits who speed: living outside the EU doesn't protect them from the consequences. The process for recovering fines is a little different, but you're not entirely safe.
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