Drunk British biker caught riding dangerously in Switzerland’s Gotthard tunnel

A 46-year-old motorcyclist from the UK caused a stir in the Gotthard Tunnel on August 30th, when he overtook dozens of vehicles before being stopped by Swiss police.

Video surveillance from Ticino police showed that the man seriously endangered other motorists when he sped past a total of 47 vehicles – including two trucks and 45 cars.

Such manoeuvers are forbidden in the two-lane tunnel.

He was stopped by Uri police when he emerged from the tunnel’s north portal.

The man was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and was banned from driving in Switzerland.

Brits behaving badly (on Swiss roads)

Swiss police may be getting accustomed by now to catching speeding Brits.

This particular person is the latest in a growing line of UK citizens who have taken to Swiss roads without respecting the rules.

As recently as June 2025, a British driver was arrested in Uri when he was recorded travelling at a speed of 161 km/h, exceeding the posted speed limit of 80 km/h — in other words, he drove at double the allowed speed.

But he wasn’t the first one either.

During the summer of 2024, Zurich cantonal police stopped four UK nationals who were speeding on a Swiss motorway in their sports cars.

They were reportedly driving at over 200 km/h – 80 km/h over the posted speed limit.

And that’s not all.

Only a month later, in July 2024, police in Graubünden intercepted two other Brits who were speeding — also in sports cars — through the Flüela Pass.

They dashed through the hairpin bends on the mountain pass, where the speed limit is 80 km/hour, at 153 km/h.

(On the positive note, none of the Brits were caught speeding on the left side of the road, so that’s a relief).

What happens to these speeders when caught?

Other than having their vehicles seized and being banned from taking to Swiss roads, their fate is in the hands of a judge in the canton where they were caught.

However, motorists caught ‘seriously’ speeding in Switzerland— regardless of their nationality —are typically slapped with 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 jail sentence if offenders can’t, or choose, not to, pay.

So the British speeders likely had to pay hefty fines, plus possibly the cost of towing their vehicles out of Switzerland, before Brexiting the country.

This is perhaps a good time for a general reminder about speeding fines

It depends on where you are 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 motorway and 40 francs if the infraction happened on main or secondary roads.

The fine for driving between 6 and 10 km / h over the legal limit is 60 francs on the motorway, 100 on the main roads, and 120 francs in built-up areas.

Driving 11 to 15 km/h over the maximum speed will cost you 120 francs on the motorway, 160 on the main road, and 250 in built-up areas.

For serious speeding offences in excess of 25 km/h, additional penalties will be imposed.

For instance, your driver’s license may be suspended for a period ranging from one to three months, depending on the speed and the location.

Additionally, if you exceed the speed limit by 25 km/h in built-up areas, 30 km/h on main roads, or by 35 km/h on the motorway, your offence will be recorded in the register of criminal convictions and will remain there, for all to see, for a certain period of time.

It would not look good if you are looking for a job or an apartment, as employers and landlords routinely ask to see a copy of your criminal record.

Also, if you cause an accident while speeding or if you drive drunk, penalties would be more significant.

Are rules the same for foreign drivers?

Now, you may think that speeding in a non-Swiss car will offer you immunity from having to pay a fine. But if you believe that, you are wrong.

If you got caught in Switzerland, but live in the European Union, expect your Swiss fine to arrive in the mail eventually.

That’s because Switzerland and the EU share details of drivers who are caught committing traffic infractions on their respective territories.

This data is shared via the European Car and Driving Licence Information System (Eucaris), which holds records of all vehicle owners in Europe.

More relevant to the speeding Brits: living outside of the EU doesn’t protect them from consequences. The fine-recovery process is a little different, but you are not quite off the hook.