Rudolfs Balcers recalls costly speeding incident in Switzerland

Latvia's national hockey team captain Rudolfs Balcers shared a story on the "Freibja podkāsts" podcast about an unexpected brush with Swiss law that cost him both money and driving privileges last season.

Speed limit dropping from 120 to 80

Balcers was driving on a stretch of road where the speed limit gradually decreased from 120 to 100 and then to 80 kilometres per hour. He failed to slow down in time, and a speed camera caught him doing 123 kilometres per hour — 43 kilometres per hour over the limit at that point.

Soon after, he received a letter summoning him to the police station, where officers showed him the photo evidence. Balcers noted that before moving to Switzerland he had never received any fines, which made the situation feel especially unusual to him.

Four months without a car

Police warned him that such a violation could result in losing his licence for a lengthy period. In the end, Balcers was left without driving privileges for four months. He admitted this stretch was difficult, and that both his wife and teammates helped him get around during that time.

Two more years of caution

Although Balcers has since regained his licence and says he is now far more careful on Swiss roads, he remains under a two-year probation period. Should he commit another traffic violation in Switzerland during this time, he risks losing his driving rights for up to two years.

Switzerland is known for imposing steep fines for traffic offences, with serious violations sometimes costing more than ten thousand euros. In Zurich alone, where Balcers plays, authorities collect around 60 million Swiss francs — roughly 63.5 million euros — annually in traffic fines. Balcers' contract with Zurich's Lions still has two seasons remaining.