The Zemgale Regional Court has imposed a fine of 680 euros and a 12-month driving ban on a driver who was filmed driving at 240 kilometres per hour on public roads.
In a first of its kind, the definitive evidence against the driver was his own video of the incident which he posted to social media.
The prosecutor's office noted that this sets a significant legal precedent, as it confirms that a publicly available video – rather than a designated police camera – can prove a violation took place.
The case came to the attention of law enforcement authorities in March 2024, after the unnamed driver himself published a video on social media showing him driving his Audi into Tīnūži village at a speed of almost 240 km/h, narrowly avoiding an accident.
The court found that the violation was socially dangerous and endangered the health and life of the driver, his passengers and other road users. The court also noted that by filming his actions and publishing the recording on social networks, the driver demonstrated blatant disrespect for socially accepted norms of behaviour, and a nihilistic attitude toward compliance with legal norms.
On October 22nd – more than two years later – the Zemgale Regional Court imposed the maximum fine provided for by law on the driver, 680 euros, and a ban on driving for 12 months.
"The decision of the Zemgale Regional Court has become an important legal precedent in Latvian court practice. It confirms that the fact of speeding can be proven not only with the data recorded by technical means specified in regulatory enactments, such as photo radar, but also with other information about the facts obtained during the administrative violation process, which generally forms a closely related set of evidence. One of the evidence to be evaluated may also be publicly available video material," the prosecutor's office stated.
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