do NOT speed in switzerland

Do the Swiss police use radar and if so, are the bands the same as in the States, i.e. K, Ka, X and laser? I will be traveling there next year and will rent a car. I will try not to speed but would like that extra comfort having my radar detector with me and will take it unless it won't work with the Swiss radar guns. Your thoughts?

 

Extra comfort? You mean "extra pain". Radar detectors are against the law in Switzerland. Don't speed in Switzerland and don't even think about having a radar detector in your car.

I live in northern Italy, quite close to Switzerland and I can't think of any reason to go there. Yes, it's pretty, but we have plenty of very attractive places here in Italy. If I need a knife with a built in spoon, I can buy it on the Internet.

 

Thanks for your replies, won't be packing the detector. We will visit Geneva, Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen, Luzerne and Zurich and then off to Croatia, so no Italian stops. We went to Lake Como before, very nice. Only "northern" (sort-of) Italian city that we've visited.

 

Better yet, take the train.

 

Ross:
No, we did not vote for it. Swiss Government in the 1980s introduced the speed limits of 80 km/h (outside villages) and 120 km/h on the motorway TEMPORARILY but after a while this "automatically" became the official law and we couldn't do anything against it. This is what really happened and most people forgot about this (turning a temporary system into a real and final one). In the meantime these limits are so much accepted by the majority of the Swiss people, who mostly are dark green environmentalists and really want you to get rid off of your car and rather use public transport, that it is impossible to go back to a more liberal system.
As for radar detectors it is against the law to import one into Switzerland, to even just have one (un-installed in your car!!), the possession of one, use one etc. If your built in modern on board navigation system in your car also offers you the warning for speed cameras and the police finds out they can confiscate the car. Even if you did not use that option.

Easiest way to avoid any troubles is to just behave, even if it is no fun.

Marcel Massini

 

I was just havin some fun while reading this posts as a couple of you guys where blaming."socialists and comunists" for anti speeding laws..how american! Do you really still believe in vampires and monsters (well probably somebody told you at a young age that comunists ate litle children for breakfast)..it worked here during the fascism days...and i believe some old people still belive it!!!

 

I´m pretty sure i´ll visit switzerland one of these days...but i don´t think i´ll be doing any driving.....i love driving and i think it would make me nuts if i had to keep my eyes on the speed everytime...damn, thats dangerous, you should keep your eyes on the road, not your dashboard!!!

 

No, their -- your? -- ideology, psychology and track record is all it takes.

Kindly give us the defining, night and day differences between fascism, communism and socialism.

 

I think the only reasonable option to all this is buy a large island in the bahamas, put a 100% replica of Suzuka and Spa Francorchamps (with the old busstop) on there (and nice roads around it with a 120km/h speed limit, 40km/h in village) and sell plots/villas/appartments to other petrolheads. People are pre screened before buying to make sure they won't ***** and moan about noise.

Laws:
Speeding in Villages is properly maintained (don't want to hit children now do we)
Speeding outside villages means you buy a round at the bar.
Neighbouring islands that moan about noise we declare war on.
No diesels.

Now whose in?

 

Switzerland has one of the lowest VAT's on the planet.
Think about Italy (21) and Germany, etc.!

Marcel Massini

 

I live in Switzerland and drive quite o lot but to be honest I never had any problems. Touch wood. .......

 

I just came across this and thought it would perfectly fit into this thread. Credits go to Automobil Revue, a Swiss car newspaper.

For those that are not able to fully understand German:
Innerorts = villages/city
Ausserorts = non urban / outside of towns (usually 80 kph)
Autobahn = highway
Busse = Fine
Monat = Month
Freiheitsstrafe = Jail
Führerscheinentzug = revocation of a driver's license


Markus
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You guys should move to Canada. Our GST Goods and Services Tax, equivalent of VAT, was introduced around 15 years ago at 7%, then 6 or so years ago, reduced to 6%, then a year later to 5%. It's not absolutely certain that a VAT can not be reduced, you just need a political party to campaign on that as a platform position, then win the election.

(We have fabulous mountain scenery in Alberta in Banff National Park, too! )

 

When I first went to Spain for a motogp race in 07, I was told about their photo cameras. First thing I did was to cover the license plates with mud. Worked fine. Saw the lights from the cameras on A4, but never saw a ticket. LOL

Art

 

How can they detect a radar detector??

 

From what cereal box did you receive your degree?

 

You gotta be kidding, they fine you 40 Fr. for 1-5 kph over the limit?

Great way to make easy money I suppose - kind of ironic but not surprising since they recently lost their tax evasion business I understand.

 

60 km/h + outside of town, and they imprison you for 1 year; thats not funny anymore....

 

Norway:
300 USD if speeding more than 3 kmh... That's the cheapest ticket. 140 kmh in a 100 zone gets you a 1600 USD ticket...
141 or more and you'll get 3 months without license, more serious offences (160+) = jail time from some weeks up to several months...

 

As said earlier already: ZERO tolerance.

And no, Switzerland did NOT lose the tax evasion biz.
Clearly America blackmailed Switzerland. Big time. It is nothing else than a business war. Same for Germany and France. Certainly it cannot be the fault of the Swiss if foreigners are upset with their own country and tax situation and as a result bring their money to Switzerland but then forget to declare that to their own tax authorities. Should people not be responsible for what they do? It is so much easier to accuse and blackmail a tiny little country in the heart of Europe.

Marcel Massini

 

I'm with Marcel - Switzerland also my family home country