Cologne speeder speeds at 173 km/h: Police increase control on A59!

Cologne speeder speeds at 173 km/h: Police increase control on A59!

From August 4th to 10th, 2025, North Rhine-Westphalia will take part in the Europe-wide “Speedweek”, an initiative to monitor speed in road traffic. This special campaign is aimed primarily at speeders and is intended to help increase safety on the roads. This week in particular, the police are stepping up their activity at accident hotspots and well-known speed routes to identify traffic offenders and bring them to justice. The emergency services are currently deployed, among other things, on the A59 motorway between Monheim and Düsseldorf-Garath, where the maximum speed is limited to 60 km/h in order to take into account the poor condition of the road, which urgently needs to be renovated.

The operations are already having an effect: on the night of August 7th, thirteen speeding violations were detected, including one particularly noticeable case. A BMW driver from Cologne raced at 173 km/h - that's a whopping 113 km/h more than allowed! This not only caused a stir, but the speeder now has to expect a fine of at least 700 euros and a driving ban of at least three months. The penalties can be even stricter for repeat offenders or new drivers, which is a clear message to all road users to slow down.

Speed ​​camera marathon and its goals

The “Speedweek” is part of the speed camera marathon, a police operation that first took place in Germany in 2012 in North Rhine-Westphalia and has taken place every year since then. The aim of this measure is to increase road safety and make drivers aware of the dangers of speeding. For example, in 2015, over 3 million vehicles were checked and more than 93,000 speeding violations were detected. This year it is important to achieve similar successes in order to raise awareness of responsibility in road traffic.

Various methods are used as part of the controls, such as mobile and stationary speed cameras that work with technologies such as radar, light barriers and laser measuring devices. These techniques allow authorities to accurately detect speeding violations and hold drivers accountable accordingly. The controls are also colloquially referred to as “flashing”, which further sensitizes people while they are on the roads.

The reactions of drivers

However, not everyone is convinced of the speed camera marathon campaign. Critics raise concerns about the effectiveness of such measures and argue that they often only have short-term effects. Nevertheless, the total number of offenses recorded shows that the pressure on drivers remains high. At this point, attention is also drawn to the possibility of surveying the population about danger spots in order to specifically address the safety needs of citizens.

With the ongoing speed controls and the nationwide “Speed ​​Week”, the authorities are keeping a close eye on road safety. The police have announced that they will further increase controls in the Düsseldorf city area and on surrounding highways. “There’s something going on,” you might say. It is a clear signal to all drivers that speeding will not be tolerated and everyone must take responsibility for their speed.

So stay alert and slow down – for your safety and that of other road users.

For further details about the campaign and the results so far in North Rhine-Westphalia, you can read the reports from Cologne City Gazette, Catalog of fines and Bußgeldkatalog.de visit.