Is a $1 Million Fine for Speeding too Much?

Like my views on many criminal justice issues, I'm a bit conflicted about this BBC story about a Swedish driver who is being fined about $1 million by Swiss authorities for driving 180 mph. This sounds absurd (and at some level, of course, it is), but if the idea of a fine is to deter speeders, then penalties based on income and/or wealth can be appropriate. On the other hand, I don't like revenue-hungry politicians. I don't like speed traps (though that's presumably not an issue in this instance). And I don't like class warfare policies designed to poke rich people in the eye for the sin of, well, being rich. Feedback is welcome, as always.

A Swedish motorist caught driving at 290km/h (180mph) in Switzerland could be given a world-record speeding fine of SFr1.08m ($1m; £656,000), prosecutors say. The 37-year-old, who has not been named, was clocked driving his Mercedes sports car at 170km/h over the limit. Under Swiss law, the level of fine is determined by the wealth of the driver and the speed recorded. In January, a Swiss driver was fined $290,000 - the current world record.