My driving is a lot calmer in recent years (wisdom does come with age after all I guess) but i do still get caught mainly when I'm too slow to reduce speed when max goes from 120 to 100 to 80 or something. Typically due to me being on cruise control.

Anyway, got caught in Switzerland:
- 650 CHF fine
- plus 3 month driving ban

I called the number on the letter and the lady was very helpful. What I in the end understood was that the fine could be changed to a 3 day prison term. I'm seriously considering that - more for the experience than saving the money. Question: how are Swiss prisons? Should I expect 3 days of catching up with sleep, reading 1-2 good books and eating acceptable chow... OR should I be expecting 3 days of hell and continuous vigilence to not get treated like in American History X?

Oh, and does something like this in any way impact getting (eventually) a residence permit in Switzerland?

Hell, or sleep, it's all in the experience. Take it , it's a great story for your grand children...

George Michael's 80's hit Careless Whisper comes to mind ..... the version preferred in Swiss prisons, is a re-working by Michael, after his own prison experience .........






........ Hairless Fister

I'm thinking maybe that a 3 day prison term would appear on your police record where as a fine wouldn't..?

Yeah, but so what? Does that police record impact anything?

My brother did that - but honestly I'd rather pay than have a prison sentence on my record. It could easily catch up with you when job hunting, etc- just not worth it imho.

Personally I never use cruise control in areas where speed limit change regularly, like the M25 in London, and where there are Mway tunnels here in CH. Not a fan anyway in busy Mways either.

You must have been giving it beans to get such a high penalty. Was it on a motorway or in a built up area?

I know people who have been banned for one month and they were doing something like 30 or 35 over the speed limit on a motorway. A 3 month ban must have meant you were flying!

I don't think it will be counted as a criminal record, fine has to be higher 5000 IIRC, a couple of days prision does not count.

I wasn't really, I think the limit just dropped to 60 and i was doing 90 or 95. It was near Schaffhausen if not mistaken. Really an odd spot to all of a sudden drop to 60.

Maybe the penalty was so high because 4-5 years ago I had also had a driving ban in Switzerland.

Unlike many other countries, traffic and criminal history records are not separated. I think any court-determined fined over 250chf appears on your "Strafregister" (police record), including traffic fines. Many jobs these days require you to provide a copy with any job application...A speeding fine would be ignored, but a stint in prison may not go down well with your new HR...

Oops, you might want to watch it if you are stacking them up. A ban on its own probably wouldn't affect your chances of getting residency but the ride might be a bit bumpier if you are a repeat offender.

It's above 5000, that get recorded on the register.

Ah yes, I stand corrected. But I did find the following:

So basically, serious traffic offences including serious speeding fines are also entered.

Don't think so. I've twice had to provide a Swiss criminal record extract for UK organisations (for reasons of skiing with kids), the most recent being just a couple of months ago. I had a 800+chf speeding offence earlier this year, and one about four years back, and neither of these was listed on the extract.
I'd imagine that if the offence doesn't appear for a fine, it wouldn't for a short prison sentence either. BICBW.

Just make sure you take enough Vaseline for 3 days and you'll be be fine...