Imagine cruising along at 74 mph, less than 40 feet from the car in front of you, when you see police lights in your rearview mirror. After you pull over, the officer says you were tailgating. You say, “Sorry.” He adds that you’re looking at a tailgating fine of $124,000.

Lots of things are different in Europe. People tend to drive wagons more and trucks less, watch Formula 1 instead of stock car racing, sections of the autobahn have no speed limit, and—in multiple countries—ticket fine amounts aren’t based on your offense. They’re based on your income.

That’s how a Swiss lawyer got hit with a traffic fine higher than the price of a brand-new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS. Authorities say he was tailgating on the A1 motorway near Zurich, following just 26-40 feet behind another car. The Swiss police didn’t cut him any slack. The local court fined him 98,500 Swiss francs—about $109,500—plus 13,000 francs ($14,500) in court fees. That’s $124,000!

Naturally, the driver fought his tailgating fine. He argued that police incorrectly calculated his following distance using video footage. The court dismissed his claims. With an annual taxable income of 1.6 million francs ($1.8 million), he fell squarely into Switzerland’s income-based fine system. The penalty? Fifty daily fines of 1,970 francs each—$2,200 per day.

How do traffic and tailgating fines in Switzerland work?

Switzerland doesn’t do flat-rate traffic tickets. The country, like Finland, calculates fines based on what will actually hurt your wallet. The logic: A minimum-wage worker and a millionaire won’t feel the same sting from a $300 ticket. The rich fat cat may just keep on speeding.

Critics argue the system is extortion, designed to milk the wealthy. But there’s a catch: if this driver stays out of trouble for two years, he won’t pay the $110,000. The fine only kicks in if he commits another serious offense.

I’d say the high-dollar system in Switzerland is obviously not a cash grab: If this driver starts minding the law, the police won’t see any money from the tailgating fine. That’s a great way to change driver behavior, not to collect cash.

As I previously wrote, this isn’t the first time Switzerland has issued eye-watering fines. In 2010, a Ferrari Testarossa owner was fined $290,000 for speeding. In 2004, a Finnish sausage tycoon paid $217,000 for going 50 mph in a 25 mph zone. The all-time record? A Mercedes-Benz SLS owner got a $1.09 million ticket for hitting 180 mph.

One things for sure, even though fines and speed limits are markedly different in Europe, there’s a good chance the driver riding your bumper is in a BMW. But in Europe his ticket might cost more than his car.