Germanyโs Transport Ministry has criticized a stunt that saw a Czech millionaire drive his high-powered sportscar along a public highway at speeds of up to 417 kilometers per hour.
A video posted online this month shows Radim Passer pushing his Bugatti Chiron to extreme speeds on a stretch of Germanyโs A2 Autobahn between Berlin and Hannover.
Beneath the video, Passer wrote that the stunt was filmed last year on a 10-kilometer straight section with three lanes and โvisibility along the whole stretch.โ
โSafety was a priority, so the circumstances had to be safe to go,โ he said.
But the car can be seen passing several other vehicles on the highway and the light in the video suggests it was at twilight.
While much of Germanyโs Autobahn network famously has no speed limit, the Transport Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that it โrejects any behavior in road traffic that leads or can lead to endangering road users.โ
โAll road users must abide by the rules of the road traffic regulations,โ it added, citing the first clause of Germanyโs road traffic law, which states that โanyone participating in traffic must behave in such a way that no other person is harmed, endangered or obstructed or inconvenienced more than is unavoidable under the circumstances.โ
The ministry noted that the law also requires drivers to โonly drive so fast that the vehicle is constantly under control.โ
Passer, who according to Forbes is the Czech Republicโs 33rd-richest person with a wealth of 6.6 billion Czech crowns, suggested beneath the video that he placed his faith in more than just his driving skills during the stunt.
โWe thank God for the safety and good circumstances, as we were able to reach the speed of 417 km/h!โ he wrote.
The Green party, now a junior partner in Germanyโs coalition government, called for a 130 km/h speed limit across the Autobahn network in last yearโs election campaign, as part of efforts to cut the countryโs carbon dioxide emissions. But that idea was ditched during talks to form the new government.
-
NEWSLETTER
Subscribe for our daily news