Swiss canton deploys drones to catch speeders, but faces legal challenge

Police in the German-speaking canton of St. Gallen are turning to new technology to catch drivers speeding or behaving recklessly. Authorities are now using drones to help make roads safer, but the move has sparked debate over the legality of aerial surveillance on Swiss roads.

Drones successful at catching speeders in Switzerland

Traditional speed cameras aren’t quite making the cut for the cantonal police in St. Gallen, which has now turned to drones to monitor traffic from above.

The local police have been using the technology to “detect severe speeding violations and dangerous driving behaviour,” according to Blue News. And so far, the targeted operations are proving successful, with the cantonal police describing the results of six operations conducted in 2026 as “positive”.

Drones carried out traffic violation checks on Stossstrasse and near Mühlrüti in Hulftegg, both mountain passes popular with car enthusiasts, where roads were “monitored for several hours” and “targeted drone footage was taken”. The police caught two drivers speeding and issued citations to five road users with “illegal modifications to their vehicles,” a cantonal press release states.

Unlike other methods of traffic monitoring, such as speed cameras or stationary police vehicles, drones are “virtually undetectable”, meaning drivers are unable to predict where monitoring is taking place.

The cantonal police explained that speeding on roads in Switzerland is still one of the main causes of accidents and that drones help “combat traffic violations and improve road safety.”

Critics question legality of drone surveillance

The new road-monitoring tactic has drawn criticism from some politicians and lawyers. Three FDP cantonal councillors in St. Gallen have formally challenged the legality of using drones this way and argued that it invades the privacy of other road users, reports Watson.

The cantonal councillors stated that "instead of building on a specific, formal legal basis, the cantonal police seem to rely solely on general rules of procedure for regulating and monitoring traffic when it comes to drone surveillance."

The St. Gallen cantonal police have cited a 2024 Thurgau High Court ruling that upheld speed checks by drones. However, critics have pointed to existing Federal Supreme Court precedent that means this may not be enough to justify “such far-reaching surveillance measures,” Watson continues.

The cantonal government is expected to respond to the inquiry and provide further clarity.