Did you know that the first speeding ticket ever is over a century old? There is a piece of paper in the archives that is known for the first fine in speeding ticket history. I’ll tell you all about it in this article!
The first speeding fine?
16th of May, 1895. This is supposed to be the 1st speeding fine ever in traffic ticket history. The fine was written by the police in Germany, in the town of Denzlingen. Of course a country with a great and long motorsport history.
But it was not Michael Schumacher or Sebastien Vettel who got the fine. The ‘lucky’ guy who got the honour was Alexander Gutmann. In this first speeding fine, he was adressed as “Sehr Geehrter” ( which is German for: “most honoured”). A polite way, but he would not get away with it.
How big was the first speeding ticket?
The first speeding ticket was worth 3 German Mark. which is now around 50€/$. During the end of the 19th century, when the speeding fine was issued, this amount equaled a days paycheck of a common worker.
What did he do to get the first speeding ticket ever?
But what did Alexander Gutmann do to get the first fine in traffic ticket history? Police didn’t had any cameras or other equipment to check car speeds.
The speeding fine tells us that Gutmann was driving a “Benz-Motor-Pferd” (literally: a Benz-Motor-horse). The police officer that gave the fine knew that Gutmann was driving fast, because the curtains of the local cafe in Denzlingen were fluttering when he passed by!
More proof was not needed in those times. Remember, cars were certainly not common at the end of the 19th century. The first automobile was manufactured just 10 years before this speeding ticket history began.
And don’t imagine a too high speed in those days either. Ok, curtains were fluttering when the Benz automobile drove in the street. But cars were not capable of driving faster than only…20 km per hour (12 miles per hour)! The speeding limit on the other hand was a max of 6 km per hour (3 miles per hour). A speed which should leave your curtains at peace.
Who was Alexander Gutmann?
The next question we can ask ourselves is: who was this Alexander Gutmann? He was the owner of a factory in the sewing industry. So he probably could afford this first speeding ticket ever.
And apparently it was not his only fine in speeding ticket history. According to one of his later offspring, Alexander Gutmann really liked speed. No wonder he was the driver that got the first speeding ticket ever!
Visiting the Mercedes-Benz-Motorpferd
By the way, it is still possible to see the automobile owned by Alexander Gutmann. You can see this old Mercedes-Benz in the PS. Speicher museum in Einbeck (Germany). This museum tells you the story of mobility, from the bike up to cars.
Are you interested in more German history? Then be sure to read my article about the Fuhrerbunker!
