Motorist Gets 'World's Largest' Speeding Fine In Switzerland

In Switzerland, a joyride could set you back almost $1 million.

That's a lesson one Swedish motorist learned the hard way last Friday, when he was slapped with a staggering fine of between $835,000 to $962,000 after being clocked doing 180 mph on a Swiss highway, according to reports.

Authorities say the gargantuan fine -- reported to be the world's largest -- is due to Switzerland's unusual traffic laws, which calculate fines on both the severity of the offense and the offender's income level. Though police could not confirm whether or not the driver's speed was a record, they "have no record of anyone being caught traveling faster in the country," a police spokesman told the Daily Telegraph

Swiss police also impounded the 37-year-old motorist's black Mercedes SLS AMG, worth $240,000, as well as his driver's license upon his release from custody. The driver, who was traveling between Bern and Lausanne, has since defended himself by saying he thought "the [speedometer] on the car, which was new, was faulty."