Cars damaged Arguments escalate on the A1 - heavy penalties for 4 men

Slamming on the brakes, getting out of the car, wrecking the car: Several power struggles escalate in a short space of time on the A1. Four men have now been sentenced.

On the A1 near Wallisellen, a notorious traffic jam stretch in the Zurich conurbation, a dispute between two drivers escalated in December 2023, leading to dangerous maneuvers. A 31-year-old driver of a VW Golf wanted to prevent a 51-year-old Skoda driver from moving from the middle lane to the left lane.

A power struggle ensued: the Golf driver accelerated to close the gap, whereupon the Skoda driver activated his headlights and horn. This provoked the Golf driver to such an extent that he deliberately slowed down the Skoda and brought it to a standstill in the overtaking lane, as theTages-Anzeigerreported, citing the legally binding penalty orders.

The situation escalated further when the Golf driver got out and tried to open the door of the Skoda, which was later classified as coercion. He ended up hitting the Skoda's side mirror, damaging it.

The public prosecutor's office considered the incident to be a considerable danger to other road users. The Golf driver was convicted of coercion, damage to property and gross violation of traffic regulations. He received a suspended fine of CHF 11,000, a fine of CHF 2,200 and procedural costs of CHF 800. The Skoda driver was also punished - he has to pay a fine of 100 francs and procedural costs of 400 francs.

Similar incident in Gubrist

A similar incident occurred in August 2023 in the Gubrist tunnel near Regensdorf, also on the A1. A 28-year-old VW driver was following a Skoda at a close distance and flashed his headlights to clear the overtaking lane.

The 34-year-old Skoda driver reacted by braking abruptly. The VW driver then overtook him on the right and also performed risky braking maneuvers until both vehicles came to a standstill in the tunnel. The VW driver then got out of the car and hit the Skoda's side mirror with his fist, causing damage of 500 francs.

This case also ended in a conviction: the VW driver, a Frenchman, was convicted of gross violation of traffic regulations and damage to property and must pay a fine of 1000 francs and legal costs of 800 francs. The Skoda driver, a German, also received a penalty: a fine of 400 francs and legal costs of 800 francs.