Making it sting a little:

[Theophylact]

Apparently the Finns have income-based fines for speeding.

One of Finland's richest men has been handed a record 170,000 euros speeding ticket, thanks to the country's policy of relating the fine to your income.

Jussi Salonoja, the 27-year-old heir to a family-owned sausage empire, was given the £116,000 ticket after being caught driving 80kph in a 40kph zone.

Helsinki police came up with the figure after tax office data showed that Mr Salonoja earned close to £7m in 2002.

If his penalty stands it will beat the previous record of almost 80,000 euros.

That figure (£54,000) was paid in 2000 by Finnish internet millionaire Jaakko Rytsola, when he was caught speeding.

Yet Mr Salonoja could yet get his penalty reduced, as was the case with Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki.

In 2002, Mr Vanjoki's 116,000 euros fine was reduced by no less than 95% due to his drop in income following a downturn in the mobile phone maker's profits.

Notice, by the way, that Mr. Salonja is by no means rich by US standards: he earned a mere $10 million or so in 2002.

[Epidemic]

I do not usually like picking on the rich. But in this case I kinda like it. Speeding tickets are supposed to correct a behavior, rich people do not care about 60 or 100 bucks. they spend that on gold plated toilet paper every time they blow their nose. I think that fines for wrong doing should reflect income.