Speeding BMW driver fined 75 times the normal fine for giving middle finger

It costs nothing to be nice, but it definitely costs something to be nasty. That’s the lesson a BMW driver is left with after being fined at a rate 75 times the norm after flipping the bird to a traffic camera while on a German autobahn.

Most people will tell you that there are no speed limits on German autobahns, but that isn’t strictly true – only segments of these motorways are de-restricted.

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In any case, a 26-year-old BMW X5 driver found that out the hard way this month, speeding at 81km/h in a 70km/h speed-limited zone – a fine that would normally attract a €20 fine ($32 AUD).

However, in the split-second he was in the speed camera’s frame the driver decided to put his middle finger on display.

A little cheeky, maybe, but the result of the impromptu bird-flipping saw the €20 fine thrown out and replaced with a €1500 fine ($2627 AUD) and a one-month licence suspension.

It’s said that the Oberfranken police wanted to make an example out of the man, charging him with ‘being insulting in road traffic’.

After a penalty like that, it’s safe to assume he’ll pay closer attention to the speed limit and keep his hands to himself next time around.

Mind your manners.