Man fined for running down the motorway after his car

A man has been given a suspended fine of CHF1,500 ($1,515) after he ran across a Swiss motorway in pursuit of his runaway car. The Neuchâtel public prosecutor, who had sought a harsher punishment, had accused him of a “grave violation of road traffic regulations”.

The man had stopped on the hard shoulder of the A5 motorway outside Neuchâtel last October to chat to a lorry driver. His car started rolling away and zig-zagged across the motorway, hitting the central barrier and eventually coming to rest after hitting a sign. The driver, who chased after his car, narrowly avoided being hit by other vehicles and causing a pile-up.