A teenager in Germany's joy at getting his driving license was short-lived, after it was suspended less than an hour after he received it because he was was caught going nearly twice the speed limit.
Traffic police stopped the 18-year-old traveling at 95 km/h (59 mph) in Iserlohn, near Dortmund—well over the speed limit of 50 km/h (31 mph).
He had been taking the car for a spin with his friends to celebrate getting his license after passing his test just 49 minutes before.
But it was easy come, easy go as his traffic infringement means he will banned from taking the wheel for at least a month and his probationary period has now been doubled from two to four years. He will also be fined 200 euros ($228) and forced to take additional driving lessons.
"Some things last forever, others not for an hour," German police said in a statement, according to the BBC.
There is no speed limit on most German highways but there are tight speed restrictions in built-up areas, which are rigorously enforced. Motorists who flout the rules can face fines of up to 680 euros ($775) and driving bans of up to three months, Deutsche Welle reported.
This month, the mayor of a village in north-eastern Italy set up a traffic camera at a pedestrian crossing, and found that there were more than 58,000 speeding drivers in only two weeks.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
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