Ate something while driving, searched for music on Spotify or opened a Capri Sun: several people were convicted
Five legally binding penalty orders show how drivers are fined if they are caught doing seemingly everyday things that can quickly become dangerous behind the wheel.
What you want to listen to on a streaming platform should be chosen before you leave.
Symbolic image: photo library
Whether you’re fiddling with your cell phone or opening a drink, five judgments from the Baden public prosecutor’s office that recently became legally binding show how expensive it can be to be distracted while driving. The verdict for all five: “Violation of the road traffic law by carrying out an activity that makes it difficult to operate the vehicle.” The penalty orders also show why the police became aware of the offending drivers in the first place.
Flashed while eating
A Croatian man was targeted by police at the beginning of the year when he was speeding at 37 km/h in a 30 zone in Turgi. After deducting the tolerance limit, he drove “an punishable 4 km/h” too fast, as the public prosecutor wrote in one of the penalty orders. Unfortunately, the 38-year-old also let go of both hands from the steering wheel in order to eat something, “which meant that the necessary attention in traffic was no longer given,” according to the sentencing authority.
The fine for the two offenses amounts to 240 francs. With penalty notice fees and other expenses, it cost him a total of 740 francs. The Office for Migration and Integration also received a message.
Fruit juice drink will be fatal
The police observed a Swiss woman holding a cell phone in her hand and fiddling with it while driving. She looked at it to answer a phone call, the sentence says. The police patrol then went after her.
According to the Baden public prosecutor’s office, at the height of the community center in Mägenwil, the 24-year-old swerved toward the middle of the road. Reason: She opened the screw cap of the Capri-Sonne fruit juice drink, which meant that she was no longer able to pay the necessary attention in traffic.
She received a fine of 200 francs. Including fees, she has to pay a total of 600 francs.
Looking at Spotify instead of the street
A Portuguese man also left the ideal line on the A1 motorway in the Würenlos municipality. The public prosecutor writes that the 21-year-old was working on his cell phone at the level of the steering wheel. In the penalty order, she also points out what exactly he did: he put music on the streaming service Spotify.
The police noticed this because he repeatedly drove against the guide and shoulder lines within the normal lane, according to the public prosecutor’s office. He also lowered his head several times. He was punished with a fine of 300 francs. This costs him a total of 700 francs including fees.
Head lowered several times
Just as conspicuously, a Turkish woman repeatedly lowered her head while driving through Mellingen, as can be seen from another penalty order. Apart from the fact that the 21-year-old was using a smartphone underneath the steering wheel, no other details are mentioned.
She also received a fine of 200 francs, which means she has to pay a total of 600 francs including fees.
Looking for contact, driving unsteadily
A Slovenian chauffeur was driving his delivery truck on the A1 motorway in the Wettingen municipality. He was observed using his cell phone at the steering wheel level while driving.
The reason: According to the public prosecutor’s office, the 38-year-old was looking for a phone number in his contacts. He also lowered his head several times. That’s why the police noticed the defendant’s “slow and slightly swaying driving style” over a distance of 800 meters.
The fine is 300 francs. Plus fees and police costs, this earned him a total of 713 francs.
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