I'll keep that in mind in the future. You can only dispute the collection notice for formal defects. But if your reasons are debatable, there is no point to keep fighting. When do they start counting the days? There is a 30% discount if you confess and pay within 5 days from the day you sign the letter receipt. Thats what happened to me the last time I got a speedy ticket in Italy while driving back to Siena from Montalcino one foggy evening. Will The Car Rental Company Pay Your Fine? This is just reeeeeaaaaallllly ridiculous. When the law says ascertainment, it relates to the day of the offense. Just see if the ticket is fair or not. I have a question for some of responders too. Remember to bring cash with you. 142 CdS):Speed RangeAdministrative SanctionUp to 10 km/km41 to 169Between 10 km/h to 40 km/h169 to 680Between 40 km/h to 60 km/h532 to 2,127More than 60 km/h829 to 3,316, All the machines automatically apply a5%leeway. People really like the idea of all the extra "freedom" rental vehicles provide. Art. Heres how it works: Essentially, it can take up to510 daysto notify a fine in Italy. Another option is to just pay for paid parking. I need to have a conversation with Avis as their paperwork at the time indicated they had taken care of the fines for Firenze and passed them on to me but now I am afraid that wasn't so. I have posted on many occasions that renting a car is not a good idea. If the last day is a holiday, it is extended to the next working day. Speeding / Traffic Ticket Lawyer in Westlake Village, CA. It varies by county, but typically when a citation is not paid within 4-6 months then the clerk's office uses the services of a collection agency to try to get that money. You can check thepostmarkto know the notification date. Write the license plate of the vehicle, date of infraction, and ticket number in the reference. Section 2901.13. I never drove in an area that other drivers were not next to me doing the same thing. Make sure to keep all the documents that prove the cancelation. Can You Get Fined If You Stay in a Hotel? I am sure what some including myself may advise on an Internet forum may be different than what I might actually do in a similar situation. A few posts that collectively violated Guideline #8 (re breaking laws) were removed. It is critical to know what makes a fine not valid. (This assumes you were in a rental car, not your own car.). Everysix months, the penalty increases by10%for late payment interests. However, it must be at least 5 km/h. The purpose of a statute of limitations is to avoid being charged with a crime years after it occurred. The signature of the offender is not necessary. Besides, there is a 5-year statute of limitation for enforcing a traffic related fine. Usually, the ticket will have a short report. You don't know when the police received the offender's name and address, so you don't know if they mailed the fine within the terms or not. The terms will run automatically from day 11 of the deposit. Plus, you wont have to deal with Italian bureaucracy and complicate systems. Judges dont accept personal excuses such as I thought that or this was my first time driving in Italy.. Also, you need an active bank account if you want to use the website to pay online. The ticket date is Aug 27th, 2019. So, make sure to always check the picture before making any decision. If you go back to Italy during this 5 year period, the possibility they might catch up with you is very slim. These minimums include: $5,000 property damage liability. Autostrade DItaliamay enforce the collection of the debt. That is not good practice either. It's not like I can easily pay these tickets without financial hardship, especially receiving them so close together. LOL. Heres what you need to send in the envelope: If you choose to use the online service, you still have to send the registration by mail. Some comments make it sound like you are bound to get one. Did you drive into any city center without a permit? Although the ticket seemed extremely high, over 75 euros, I acknowledged that I had violated their restriction and paid the fine. It is possible to dispute a fine for substantial defects. There wasn't any indication that we went somewhere we weren't supposed to. If the violation is contested immediately, the owner is still notified within 100 days.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'italianviaggio_com-square-1','ezslot_33',679,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-italianviaggio_com-square-1-0'); It is a little bit tricky to understand the notification terms. This also happens when you drive a car registered abroad. 2023 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy, https://cdn-01.media-brady.com/store/stit/media/catalog/product/cache/8/image/85e4522595efc69f496374d01ef2bf13/1533602043/d/m/dmeu_tc40_03_1_std.lang.all.gif, https://thecreditbureau.com/2016/07/credit-agencies-stop-reporting-unpaid-tickets/, https://accountcontrol.com/NewsResources/UnpaidTicketsTrafficViolationsAreNoLongerReportable.aspx. Less than 15% are issued to Florence residents. You would have to pay for the ticket even if it was not legit.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'italianviaggio_com-leader-2','ezslot_8',639,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-italianviaggio_com-leader-2-0'); There are different opinions about Italian tickets. Most of the time, tourists confuse it with a payment receipt. Every semester, the ticket will rise by 10% due to interest. I heard of numerous instances when that happened to my traffic pirate colleagues. Some jurisdictions may provide an amnesty for payment, but those are rare in these hard times. A foreign fine will never affect your driving record. All New Jersey drivers are required to carry a minimum amount of car insurance. If you go back to Italy within 5 years, there is the possibility they might ask you to pay, but there isnt a national database of pending fine judgement in Italy, so you would need to be pulled over in the same jurisdiction where you got the fine and they happen to have your name on file and they check the file. Whenever possible, the police must stop you theinstantyou commit the offense. Now several days later, I have received a 2nd ticket for a separate offense. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Since I never signed any receipt confirmation, they have no way of proving that I ever received the notices. The car companies dont share the ticket with you but they do send you a notice that you have received a ticket. The silver lining is that you have to pay only 6 months a year, instead of 12. Whether you decide to pay or appeal, you have to count from the date of receipt. What does the law have to say about this? Although all they ever provided me in my European travels were headaches. The sending agency was from The Netherlands. In fact, what matters is the shipping date of the envelope. My relatives in Europe tell me that the Italians are notorious for sending such notices and that I should ignore them. I typically travel to Italy every year (until Covid hit). The amount can vary from the min to the max of the fine, depending on the violation. What Happens If You Dont Pay a Fine in Italy? The municipality will no longer have the right to collect the fine. Houston Sommelier Competition, Taste of Italy, Simply Italian: upcoming wine tastings and events in the Bayou City. I don't drive in Europe so have no experience with paying traffic fines there, but others on this forum have reported using transferwise.com to pay fines at a very reasonable cost. Ignoring a traffic ticket doesn't make it eventually go away. They have gone so far as to be rude and condescending about my choosing to travel abroad. The only post mark is that it has been sent by Swiss Post. From the department of oops, I did it again. I lived in Italy for 2 years and get the exclusion zones. In a perfect world, the agents would make clear up front what those are to avoid any ZTLs, but the renter/driver is ultimately responsible for navigation and avoiding ZTLs. So if you dont pay the only consequence is having to deal with pesky credit collectors bugging you trying to collect a debt that they have no chance to get enforced in a court of law. We have had wonderful experiences in Europe that would have been extremely difficult if not impossible to have without renting a car. Yes, a two month billing cycle is the norm for Italian utilities, from electricity to gas to land line telephone. According to apolice report, there were657.804speeding tickets in 2019. (I suspected something amiss at the time as there was little traffic and mostly only pedestrians on the streets I was driving on.) However, you must clearly express your petition to get the fine canceled. It taught me that no matter how careful you try to be, you may still end up with traffic violations when driving in different counties. It seems like every trip, we get a ticket, and since we rented a car, there is no choice on payment - the rental agency simply notifies us that our card was docked, and they add on a fee. The roads can turn into a reserved track all at once. If it were me, for future peace of mind, I'd just pay it (and I'd use TransferWise if I had to "wire" money as opposed to simply paying straight-up via credit card). It was all wonderful until 3 months after the trip - the first "ticket" notification arrived along with the Europcar $50 handling fee. If the money is credited within7days, you will still get the 30% discount. Ive received many emails from Hertz that Ive gotten traffic violations 4 so far and they keep charging me for every communication with the police. I don't trust that even if we were to wire the money today, that the ticket would be cleared by next Saturday. So, mostly because I did the deed, and in spite of all the little technicalities that could/might be put into play, I'll pay the fine. How do you know that the police were notified of your name and address on the day you were charged? If you commit a violation in Italy, the Italian government will ask your country for your details. But if you do, the judges will no longer accept your appeal. However, you risk getting into trouble if you dont make an effort to do so. You can also request the cancelation of the paper you find on your windshield. It is just a warning to notify you in advance of the infraction and avoid extra costs. You can't pay to enter a ZTL, you are heavily fined if you do it. I also kept the letter from the police chief. Theonly requirementis to display your badge. Disabled people can use bus lanes without any restrictions.A short video about ZTLs and bus lanes. Chase your friend for the costs. Two months later Hertz charged my credit card for 43 euros for fine handeling fee. This is not true, you can get a 30% discount if you pay within 5 days from the moment you receive the registered letter. Also, you need to attach a copy of the fine, documents, form of ID, and evidence of the issue. This cost is a service forhandlingyour traffic ticket. Also, remember thata man reaps what he sows.. I received it 10 months after I arrived home (which Ive learned is within the 12month period). In this way, you will avoid paying the second fine. Here's a little different take on a similar situation. Yes, they are not aimed at tourists, but in reality, for all intended purposes, they are a visitors tax. I'd like to clarify that I did not intend to suggest that the enforcement of ZTLs is a scam directed at tourists. 200CdS, all violations must be contested immediately. Of course, trying to dodge a ticket for two years is easier said than done, which is why you don . Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Admissibility Declared admissible on 8 June 2012. The Links Between Drunk Driving and Road Accidents - Guest Post And if the sign says 70 km/h, you wont get fined as long as you dont exceed 75 km/h. So all Italians fined on the same day at the same place in Modena appealed and won? It seems impossible that I have committed any traffic offense in either of these locations. Statute of Limitations on Texas Traffic Tickets. Of course, I'd like to save the $130.60 for the fine. You still have a chance to get most of your fines canceled. I am actually feeling pretty fortunate that I didn't receive more tickets than I did, since this was my first time driving abroad. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. For non-Italian citizens, paying traffic fines incurred by offences in Italy is entirely optional. Heres what municipalities often ask to enter: If the municipality doesnt offer that service, simply send an email to it. Really? When you sign the ticket that means you have been officially and legally charged with the offense. And if you put road safety at risk by not paying, you could get a fine up to7953. The Judge will decide whether you are guilty or not.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'italianviaggio_com-narrow-sky-2','ezslot_14',691,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-italianviaggio_com-narrow-sky-2-0'); It may seem like a good idea to pay before contesting. If the time between each infraction is just afew minutes, the Judge might consider it a single behavior. I believe both my tickets were unjustified. Some people are terrified of the idea of driving in Italy. For example, you can drive up to 137 km/h if the limit is 130 km/h. What Types of Fines Can You Get in Italy? From the day you committed the violation? We paid with a credit card and got a receipt both from the post office where we paid (host said it was official, not to worry), and the receipt from the credit card. There is a ZTL zone in every italian settlement. The date of the infraction was 8/04/2015. It is possible to contest the Prefects decision to the Judge. Thank you so much! Even if you dont find it, the fine is still valid. If they make a mistake, you can refer to it to get your ticket canceled. You will usually see a white road marking with a yellow text. Thats not necessarily true. There are many risks involved when disputing a fine. If it is your first transaction with Transferwise, it may take a few days to go through as the company needs to verify everything. I'm happy for your step-son, but sadly the rest of Italy receives utility bills every 2 months. You have the option to send a registered letter to its address or personally go to the office. I understand it was my fault that I drives into wrong zone and I had pay for the fine, but definitely the worst experience to holiday oversea, beautiful country but the italian really not friendly and welcome to tourist, would definitely not going back anymore. Never, ever pass on the right. Regarding paying the ticket, Ill quote Jiminy Cricket: Let your conscience be your guide.. The actual rental car experience was not good for us either. ), Unauthorized access to ZTLs, bus lanes, historical centers, and pedestrian areas, Violations detected with devices managed by the police, Date of the infraction (year, month, day, and approximated hour), Authority and office that issued the infringement (e.g: Polizia Municipale di), The reporting officer who detected the infraction, Signature of the agents who issued the fine, Place of the infringement (city and street), Vehicle data (license plate number, model, type, etc. Is there a statute of limitations for a traffic ticket? I'm dealing with a debt collector out of California who is after me for a "traffic violation" in Italy in May of 2017 for which I received a notice from the Pisa Polizia roughly 18 months later but NEVER received any documentation as to what it was that I supposedly did to warrant a ticket. Dario, thank you. Public administrations usually reply if there is a clear error to avoid charges. These are the most common types of tickets in Italy: If you are a tourist, the chances are that you got one of those fines. Not all of them, but many. Obviously I learned my lesson the hard way and now I love taking the train every where I want to go. And my apologies for spelling your name wrong, Dario. SuFeng45 In the US wire transfers most definitely are not. Did you break the law? The time limit starts from the date you retire it. Your choice. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. You will be fine using your email to proceed with the payment. I have learned my lesson the hard way about driving in Italy. You can refuse to accept the ticket in case of immediate contestation. Because the hotel, which also includes a restaurant, had expanded its outdoor dining, the courtyard where I used to park my rental was now closed off. Charges for driving over the speed limit in Italy (Art. To be specific, the time limit runs the day following the infraction. We drink wine. ), Type of infraction (article number or a short description), Causal (ticket code, date of detection, and license plate), Personal information (your name, surname, address, etc. I paid it via wire transfer (as that was the only option available according to this particular police department). So, we drive less and less on trips. When you signed the contract, you agreed with its conditions. I figure this money comes out of my vacation fund, because it was a vacation expense! Sorry you're dealing with traffic tickets. How do those people deal with the citations? With all the traffic, you may dont see bus lane signs. Even so, we found we were entering one during a trip to Firenze. Basically have received a ZTL Notice of payment (in UK) letter from Olbia, Sardinia police after more than one year from the time the car hire company let the police know of identity of renter. I'm not confident enough that the authorities would ignore it. The day the rental car company charges you the fee? If the violation is not contested on the spot, the police may ask for the drivers details. But dont worry, there is a better option to avoid spending all your savings. Just noticed my email today, an email you can easily ignore (with unknown language title and content), I knew about ZTL and I was all the time trying to avoid it, I don't even know where is the location I got this ticket, only know it happened in Bologna, while in other city(Milan) I google every step and pay for so call area C ticket, and all the 20 days I travel in Italy trying to do everything right and follow the rules, the parking, the highway, the speed, still I manage to get this. After the 61st day the cops will start the procedures to sell your debt to an international collection agency. But hopefully, this will all be resolved soon. If you exceed the speed limits, a device will take a photo of your vehicles plate. Some people give up to the pressure and the empty threats, others dont. And if your appeal is rejected, the amount you pay will increase without considering the other expenses. I received a violation in October, 2008 (nearly 4 years ago) and I am now being hounded by a US-based collections agency for payment. depends on the type of violation. Then, your vehicle will appear in the database as authorized. On the other hand, I couldn't find a single source splitting the remaining 85% between Italians, EU citizens and foreigners. What I find interesting is that we DID pay that meter and put more money in it over the hr that we were there. Couldn't pay it at the police station that day, so we followed the dispatcher's instructions and paid it in our next stop, Lecce, the next day. Base on the other's posts, I assume the police were notified on the date of my credit card was charged on Aug 24th, 2018. Failure of displaying parking meter 42 to 173, Parking above the sidewalks 84 to 335, Inability to reach a vehicle that is traveling at excessive speed, Passage with the red light in an intersection, Violations detected with speeding machines (Autovelox, Tutor, etc. but after that I didn't receive any fine/paper from Italy police. Is the fine still your responsibility if the rental agency takes longer than 60 days to respond? I returned the car, without a scratch on it (other than the original it came with which was noted on the rental agreement). I finally wrote a letter in Italian (I speak enough to be understood, but am by no means fluent) to back off and insisting they get in touch with the authorities in Lecce. For privacy reasons, the police never send the photo along with the ticket. Although by law they cannot do so beyond the statute of limitations (which varies from State to State). Morally you agreed to their rules and choose to drive in their country, if you broke the rules you should pay the fine. Currently, he's returned to Italy, with the attitude that some things are great in Italy, and some things remain chaotic. It is not enough to send the money within the terms if it doesnt arrive on time. Italian Grape Name and Appellation Project, Poisonous strawberry update: not toxic but evidently unpleasant on the palate. Does it specify the word "March"? Ridiculous - don't rent a car - it just isn't worth the angst afterwards. Really? 202 CdS: Also, your ticket is enforceable after 60 days. 353 reviews. 28, n. 689/1981).The rules are different for Italian nationals. It's not the responsibility of the car rental agency to teach you. We relax. To avoid the fine, this must inform the infractors data to authorities within60 days. Still, here are the limits in normal situations:ClassificationSpeed LimitUrban Streets50 km/hSecondary Suburban Roads90 km/hMain Suburban Roads110 km/hHighways130 km/h. Yes, therefore pay. Im a rules guy so got on line following the instructions on the ticket to pay my 86 euros. https://thecreditbureau.com/2016/07/credit-agencies-stop-reporting-unpaid-tickets/. TheSupreme Court of Cassationsaid that drivers must pay all the penalties. Authorities will send the fine to the actual offender or vehicle owner. It is only useful if you see anobviousdefect in the fine. -I avoid Sixt. Copy. They also read local papers that are allowed to publish the position of not-fixed speed traps in the following 7 days. The fine is that looks like I have entered ZTL in Florence Essentially, they relate to how the violation occurred in the first place. The many many posts in this stream are a clear demonstration of the general bad idea of car rental. You will only have to pay the regular price of one fine.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'italianviaggio_com-leader-1','ezslot_30',672,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-italianviaggio_com-leader-1-0'); Usually, you can enter a restricted zone if your hotel is located near it. Ive emailed them about how to make these changes stop and for me to pay the tickets and havent heard back. BUT..the registered mail receipt to be returned was still on the envelope; nobody completed it. Wouldn't it be more probable that you don't know international signs and that you ignored things you didn't know? There is a 12-month statute of limitations on traffic tickets in Alabama, as they are misdemeanor offenses. That one was in error and our hotel paid it (but not the Europcar fee). The hotelier will have to communicate to the police your license plate number in advance. You are paying for its assistance to forward your details to the local authorities. Wire transfers are free, credit cards not. Of course any fine received via snail mail involves mailing and amministrative fees, but you'd have paid those fees even if you had received the letter 1 month after your journey. It wasn't immediate. Sure enough, 5 months later there it was in the mail. I don't know if that expands to foreigners, but at least you can ask. Cops have 360 days to send the first registered letter to foreigners driving a rental car. Since then we have received 3 additional "tickets" with the accompanying $181 charged for handling from Europcar. In case you send the letter to the authority that issued the ticket, it will have180 days.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[120,600],'italianviaggio_com-netboard-1','ezslot_15',610,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-italianviaggio_com-netboard-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[120,600],'italianviaggio_com-netboard-1','ezslot_16',610,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-italianviaggio_com-netboard-1-0_1');.netboard-1-multi-610{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:600px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. DougMac I have to agree with. Unfortunately that meant several other posts that replied became completely out of context. They also charge you a ticket processing fee. Basically, you have the option to pay the most expensive fine increased by three. My guess is that an American Company will have a hard time trying to collect any money on something that is so vague and (at the time of writing this message) is now 3 years old. This only applies if the offender and the vehicle owner are different people.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'italianviaggio_com-narrow-sky-1','ezslot_13',692,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-italianviaggio_com-narrow-sky-1-0'); You can choose between administrative and judicial appeal in Italy. However, any fee for international transactions is determined by your local bank. Then, enter your basic demographics and choose your payment method. Do Italians get citations for speeding very often? Any county can turn a legal issue into a bench warrant at any time . You and the rental company are agreeing on who is liable for what. You can reread the section What should a fine have., However, some formal defects dont cancel the ticket. Florentines living in the outskirts can't drive inside central Florence, writing that it's aimed only to tourists is just a way to spread the word about a scam. Sometimes municipalities may even try to collect the debt by themselves. They may appreciate that you at least try to pay. Not one other post mentions that it may be impossible to avoid the zones when driving to and from rental car offices. You should be posting your own question because OP will be notified every time someone responds to your question. Post where it happened, I bet google news is full of links about it, with the Mayor apologies and so on. If you get your fine late, it is the post offices fault. Our Criminal Defense Attorneys can helping you. The one we left Talamone so early in the morning for to stay on schedule to be in Venice that afternoon. The statute of limitations on traffic fines in Italy is 5 years from the day the violation was notified. You cant turn a blind eye to something like this. Finally, you can ask to pay one fine if you make several infractions in the same lane within a few minutes. In this case, theItalian Penalty Codeapplies theprinciple of continuity. I got a letter (ticket) from last years' trip to Italy from a small village, but I can't tell when the timer started. I got Milan ZTL fine today in the mail. (Also WHAT A SCAM. But Im hopeful, if not optimistic, that Ill be able to resolve the issue. Ergo it is your problem. Administrative appeals are faster than judicial ones. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. But the causeway from Mestre to Venice is a 2 lanes straight road with "50 kms" speed limits clearly posted and "camera ahead" warning signs well before the speed traps. Read more about Italian and European traffic laws here. Then, the police will send you a letter by ordinary or registered mail. Melloscher, I received 2 separate certified letters informing me of the violations. Still, it is perfectly okay if you want to contest your ticket. It is usually a good option if the amount of the fine is high. TransferWise to pay fines for a Traffic violation is easy and quick. Non residents dont vote. Its still unclear if the foreign attorney (aka, debt collector) can somehow enforce anything in the US. In this case,Art. The first paper ticket arrived in the mail 9 months after the fact - 57 EU to be paid online or it doubles in 60 days. You always have to count from thelatest notificationor enforcement order. Has anyone had experience with this situation? But it is all up to you to decide whether to escape or face the problem. But I really don't want to drive in Italy again! But how can you deal with them? We take trains. This means that once those two years are up, there's not much that the courts can do to you. A few years ago, I rented a car for two weeks and drove through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Northern Italy and France and never had an issue. The count of these days starts when they receive your name and address from the rental agency.

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