A sports car owner from the Czech Republic races at 417 km/h on the A2 in Saxony-Anhalt. While driving, he occasionally takes his hands off the steering wheel. However, the public prosecutor’s office is dropping the case against the man. Even a new complaint does not change the decision.
A sensational highway trip by a speeder at up to 417 kilometers per hour on the A2 in Saxony-Anhalt remains without criminal consequences. This was announced by the public prosecutor’s office in Naumburg after reviewing the case in a complaints procedure. Accordingly, the proceedings against the Czech remain suspended because no criminal offense punishable by a fine can be proven. There is also no evidence of an unsafe driving style. In addition, the car, a Bugatti Chiron, is designed for driving at such high speeds.
A wealthy sports car owner from the Czech Republic had published videos of his drive on YouTube and drew a lot of attention to the process. They were viewed millions of times and triggered strong media coverage. Driving in a luxury sports car on an almost empty car section was filmed professionally, including from bridges.
The public prosecutor’s office in Stendal dropped the case against the man in June due to a lack of sufficient suspicion. A complaint was filed against this, which the public prosecutor’s office in Naumburg, according to its own statements, rejected in a decision dated August 12. As justification, she referred to the current criminal law situation in Germany.
According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, extreme speeding on a motorway can in principle constitute a criminal offence, but only if other conditions are met at the same time. According to the will of the legislature, mere speeding is not automatically recorded, even in serious cases. In the present case, there are no indications relevant to the evidence of grossly illegal or reckless driving behavior on the part of the man.
The Attorney General’s Office further stated: “The fact that a person moves in a motor vehicle driven by him at a speed of approximately 116 meters per second may appear extremely reckless and suicidal, but does not automatically fulfill the aforementioned criminal offense.” This could be different in the event of a loss of control or a specific road traffic hazard. However, this is not relevant for the present case.
Even the fact documented in the videos that the driver briefly took his hands off the steering wheel while driving does not change anything in this assessment. For example, the legislature only prohibits motorcyclists or cyclists from driving hands-free. Drivers, on the other hand, are “not prohibited by law from taking their hands off the steering wheel,” the Attorney General said.
In its current version, the road traffic regulations for cars up to a total weight of three and a half tons do not provide for a speed limit on motorways, she explained. If the federal legislator wants to prevent behavior like the one in this case, he could think about a change. As a result, for example, a threshold for “excessively fast driving” can be defined at around 200 kilometers per hour.
(This article was first published on Monday, August 15, 2022.)
