Officer Ukonaho whips out his Nokia phone and punches in some numbers, including Mr. Rajala's social-security number. When you have so much money, it doesn' t matter. Many politicians here apparently agree. But only 29 of the 200 members of parliament supported the legislation. If they're speeding often, let's make a system where they lose their driver's license easily.
Traffic fines go to Finland's treasury to be used for general government purposes.
Government officials concede the new system is more about equity than safety. Traffic fines are paid to the Ministry of Justice. Heikki Summala, a professor of traffic psychology at the University of Helsinki, blames the healthy Finnish economy. Dr. Summala notes that what makes Finland's new fine system possible is the country's extensive computerized databases and advanced cellular-phone technology. However, given the complexity of the new law, it's hard to imagine that anything short of a supercomputer could calculate a Finnish speeding ticket.