Danish police have confiscated the car of a German couple from Schleswig-Holstein. The couple was on 9/3/2023. drove his vehicle on the main road through the municipality of Tønder (in Brøns). At 107 km/h instead of the permitted 50 km/h. A Danish traffic surveillance vehicle (Automatisk Trafikkontrol, ATK) flashed the couple.
In Germany, in such a case, a fine, points in Flensburg and a two-month driving ban would be due. In such a case, the speeders are allowed to keep the car. But the Danes are less squeamish: the police confiscated the speeding car in Tønder on Monday (September 4th, 2023) and a court is now deciding whether it will be auctioned off. The Danish police announced this here.
We are very pleased that the vehicle was confiscated. Driving at these speeds is unacceptable
Police Commissioner Eli Jepsen Gejsing, Head of Traffic Police in Southern and Southern Jutland
The legal basis for this is called Vanvidsbilisme, in German “crazy driving”. The ADAC explains this regulation as follows:
The crazy driving category includes speeders who are 100 percent too fast or more than 220 km/h too fast regardless of the limit. But the car is also gone if the alcohol or drug influence exceeds two per mille or in serious accidents with personal injuries. Regardless of who owns the car. Unless the owner has previously secured himself or herself by agreement with the driver.
ADAC
According to ADAC, Danish police confiscated 1,902 vehicles between April 2021 and March 2023. The Danish state can auction off the confiscated cars and keep the proceeds, as Spiegel Online explains.
In this specific case, the car was more than 100 percent too fast, which is why the police were allowed to confiscate it.
The Danish police have summarized all the criteria for a seizure here:
- Driving at a speed of at least 200 km/h
- Driving at a speed of at least 100 km/h and more than twice the maximum speed limit in the area concerned
- Drunk driving with a blood alcohol content of more than 2.00 per mille
- Manslaughter under particularly aggravating circumstances
- Especially reckless driving
- Intentionally causing immediate danger to life or limb
- Negligently causing significant harm to the body or health of a person under particularly aggravating circumstances
There are harsh penalties for speeders not only in Denmark, but also in Switzerland, for example. The ADAC provides an overview here.
In Germany, however, there is only a risk of confiscation in exceptional cases, such as when taking part in illegal races.
