Italian Speeding Tickets

[clegsr]

I realise that this issue has been posted before but I thought worth mentioning again.

We rented a car to visit Florence last August (staying just outside the city).

We arrived on 31st July 2008 and left a week later.

We rented two cars, and so far this week [10 months later] I have received 4 tickets, 3 for "driving in a restricted zone" (the so called ZTL), EUR101 each plus a speeding ticket - EUR181 for 109kph in a 90 kph zone.

I was also billed EUR40 (3 times) from Europcar for delivering my details to the Italian police - although interestingly for the speeding ticket I was not separately billed but they still had confirmation that it had been rented by me.


Total Bill so far:EUR 604


Now, OK, speeding is one thing, but to this day I am unsure where the ZTL is or why I was fined (particularly as the first one was on a Sunday which I thought was OK) and I never saw the cameras or the signs.

Anyway just be warned people! driving in Italy - has put me right off going back to such a lovely country.


...Spain this year i think...


This site has more information which is fairly up to date

 

[Spinal]

I posted the original one - between you and me, you can ignore the tickets...

ZTL is most of the center of Florence...

m.

 

[crockers]

Sounded to me as though the hire company has billed OP to his Credit card...

 

[Spinal]

The rental company bills you a "processing fee" to issue the police your details (anywhere between a few pounds and £60 in my experience)

The police then bills you for the fines - I believe there is some law about the rental company paying/billing your card directly for fines... At the moment, Italian police don't have much jurisdiction on British soil...

M.

 

[219]

I thought speeding was the way of life in Italy ?

When in Rome ........

 

[clegsr]

Yes, Europcar only charged my credit card the "finders fee" of EUR40 per request from the police.

They definitely did not charge the fine to the card.

Interestingly even without access to my credit card (which had expired by then), for the speeding ticket an outfit called Securitifleet SRL (which as far as I can gather is a division of Europcar) provided my details to the police.

Maybe the rules are different for speeding? or maybe I will get yet another invoice.

The payment website detailed that the police have 365 days from either the date of offence or from the date they find out your details to notify you of the offence.


- I wonder if its the same for Italian residents?

 

[Spinal]

- I wonder if its the same for Italian residents?

It's worse for Italian residents/citizens... The police have 2 or 3 years to get your fine to you... from the date they find your details - not from the date the offence was committed! What's worse, if the fine was a parking ticket run by a private company...or the fine has been passed to a private company for collection, they can also charge interest....

Some pretty impressive fines have been paid in Italy recently... and the laws were changed for the "interest fines" in 2007... but it still happens...

M.

 

[clegsr]

Talking of reviving Dead Threads!

I just received ANOTHER fine from the same "holiday" we took in July 2008.

This time for driving in a restricted area in Pisa...

533 days after the alledged offence !

Eur 115 fine.

That's Italy definitely off my holiday list.

 

[James Rothwell]

I hate driving in Italy, seriously hate it.

 

[LTD]

Piss them off - ask for photographic evidence

 

[Lugy]

Send it back saying they're no longer at that address or that you committed suicide/disappeared while kayaking.

 

[st4]

Just ignore it

 

[Gridlock]

"vaffenculo"

 

[Ade B]

The alternative is to be more observant when driving abroad. I know this from experience in Mantua a few years back. Whilst circling the town center looking for a parking space, loo and tourist info we managed to catch pretty much every single camera in the restricted zone... several times !

I only found out as the chap who's appartment we stayed in asked where we parked, it turned out I was in a residents only space... he then produced a map and pointed out all the camera locations - which we'd been through..

He kindly wrote a letter explaining my english ignorance and stupidity and an hour down the local police station got the fines waived..

Ade

 

[clegsr]

The alternative is to be more observant when driving abroad.

Hmm, I dont agree with that because the issue for me is the lateness of the notice, and the apparant possibility of recieving multiple fines from cameras along the same piece of road within minutes of each other.

The Italians give themselves up to (almost) 18 months to process these infractions - Can you tell me what road you were on and who was driving 18 months ago?

How on earth can this be a fair system?

Also there is no internationally recognised symbol for a ZTL nor agreed signage required so increased observance would not actually help if you do not know what you are looking for.

All this system appears to do is raise revenue and discourage tourism.

 

[Howard]

Has it already been charged to your card ?

If not , i would ignore it .

 

[Ade B]

Hmm, I dont agree with that because the issue for me is the lateness of the notice, and the apparant possibility of recieving multiple fines from cameras along the same piece of road within minutes of each other.

The Italians give themselves up to (almost) 18 months to process these infractions - Can you tell me what road you were on and who was driving 18 months ago?

How on earth can this be a fair system?

Also there is no internationally recognised symbol for a ZTL nor agreed signage required so increased observance would not actually help if you do not know what you are looking for.

All this system appears to do is raise revenue and discourage tourism.

Like any other congestion toll - I don't necessarily agree with the principle but I think it is the responsibilty of the driver to look after himself not the local authorities - it would be bad manners expect every nationality to pander to us English.

Previously I never checked local laws including speed limits before embarking on Eurotrips which has resulted in many miles of blissful ignorance and an amusing run in with Swiss police where I was stopped for speeding (by a fair bit) and then not having the correct motorway sticker in the window of my Austrian hire car.. I pleaded ignorance and stupidity (which it was) and got away with it..

I've been caught by the London CC once at Liverpool street and got caught out by the Italian system as I said - it was only pure luck that I managed to avoid the fines. And then there are numerous dubious London parking tickets....

I would also be mightily peed off to get a fine 18months down the line, but there is a reason for it.

As stated, you could always ignore the fines.

Ade

 

[timwood2000]

I have just received 4 speeding tickets from a 3 day trip I had in Rome in June 2010.

I intend to ignore them, but am curious to know if anyone has any experience of this strategy working - do they just give up or continue to pursue you for evermore?

Thanks
Tim

 

[Spinal]

The tickets are passed to a private collection company... ignore them as well...

I'm half-Italian, drive there quite often... They will pursue for a few letters (usually quite distant from each other... 3-6 months) then they'll stop.

M.

 

[GP801]

Lots of Italian cities have these limited access zones, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Orvieto, Perugia to name just a few. The signs are there but not always easy to see if you are not used to them. I am used to them but even so I got into the ZTL in Florence by mistake last year. Fortunately the car is UK registered and so far they have not found me! They will probably go away if you dont respond at all to their letters/demands.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the hire company may pay the fine and just charge your card.