We’ve all heard of silly fines issued by the emergency services and local councils (Gemeindes) in Switzerland, but this one takes the cake: Blick has reported that a man in Canton Bern has been fined 60 francs for being five minutes late.

Man gets fine for five-minute delay at Swiss traffic office

The man, a 27-year-old from Bern, was reportedly late for his appointment at the local Road Traffic Office, which had called in his motorbike for a periodic vehicle inspection. Unfortunately, the man was delayed by five minutes on his journey to the office - a mistake that soon proved quite costly.

Once he arrived, the driver was surprised to find that there was no one there. Thinking the examiner would return soon, he waited in the lobby for up to an hour, but no one showed up to take the vehicle for a test drive.

Now assuming that the inspection would not take place on the day, the man returned home, thinking he would be able to rebook. Unfortunately, it was not long before a bill arrived through the post, asking him to pay a 60-franc fine due to being "absent from an exam without rebooking."

Any delay of longer than five minutes risks a fine, says Bern official

Speaking to Nau, Bern Traffic Office representative Hans-Rudolf Habegger said, “We have clear guidelines... If there is a delay of five minutes or more, the traffic expert must take a photo of the waiting room to prove that the person called is not there.” According to them, in true Bünzli style, the man behind the counter had waited exactly five minutes for the man to appear, before taking a picture and leaving.

 "Our experts have a full programme and cannot wait 10 minutes," Habegger concluded. According to Blick, although quite annoyed, the tardy motorcyclist has now paid the fine.