For most, getting stopped by the police in Switzerland gives people cause to reflect and worry about all the slightly wrong things they have done in their entire life, in an attempt to figure out which one caused the unwanted visit. Unfortunately for one driver, this moment of reflection was just that, a moment, after he was caught drunk driving twice in one night.
According to details recently revealed by 20 Minuten, at 6.30pm on January 15, 2023, a resident of Canton Fribourg was arrested after he accidentally hit an unoccupied car while trying to drive out of a car park in Gruyères. Police were summoned to the accident, where it was quickly determined that it was caused by the fact that the driver was very drunk.
In what added insult to self-inflicted injury, when the man was brought to the police station for processing it was discovered that he had lost his driving license and was travelling without car insurance. In the end, he was given a driving ban and was deposited in a taxi. However, instead of returning home, the man decided to choose the path of most resistance.
Slightly over two and a half hours after he was first caught, at 9pm the man was arrested for driving his Citroën in the town of Épagny while still quite drunk. The emergency services soon caught word of his other exploits earlier in the evening and arrested the man for the second time in three hours.
These high jinxes were too much for the Public Prosecutors Office for Fribourg - especially since he had already been arrested for traffic offences three times before the fateful night. Authorities sentenced him to a 180-day fine of 70 francs each, as well as an upfront charge of 300 francs. When administration and other costs are added, the twice-caught driver faces a bill of 14.405 francs.