Motorist fined 1050 leva for 235km/h on Bulgarian motorway fails in court challenge
A motorist caught by a speed camera driving at 235km/h on Bulgaria’s Trakiya Motorway has failed in a court challenge to the fine, in which he argued that his car could not travel faster than 200km/h.
The motorist was snapped breaking the 140km/h speed limit on the motorway in the early morning of August 19.
His recorded speed was close to that at which an average-laden Boeing 737 takes off, 250km/h. The media in Plovdiv said that he had earned the title “the man with the heaviest foot in Bulgaria”.
He was fined 1050 leva (about 537 euro), but challenged the fine, producing documentation from his car registration that his Mitsubishi Outlander could not travel faster than 200km/h. The motorist also argued that he had not seen a sign warning that a speed camera was ahead.
In a December 2019 ruling, the Regional Court in Plovdiv rejected both arguments, saying that while the car’s documentation specified a top speed of 200km/h, the registration was not new and the vehicle could have been modified to enhance its performance. The court said that the law had been amended so that warning signs of speed cameras were not mandatory.
The decision is not final and may be appealed against in the Administrative Court.
(Photo: Jeff Hire)
