Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu has been fined after sharing a video in which he is seen driving at 225 km/h, nearly double the legal limit, on a highway near Ankara.
The video, set to Turkish folk music and a speech by President Erdoğan praising infrastructure developments, shows Uraloglu overtaking vehicles by using the shoulder of the road. The footage sparked widespread criticism and prompted a response from law enforcement.
Following the incident, Uraloglu was fined 9,267 Turkish lira (approximately $280). He publicly apologized in a tweet, posting a photo of the traffic ticket and writing, “Sorry to our people.”
The video drew strong backlash on social media and in local media outlets, especially given Turkey’s troubling road safety record. In 2024 alone, nearly 1.5 million traffic accidents were recorded, resulting in 6,351 deaths.