What camera? It's hard to drive hard in Europe....

[sfdon]

Guess I better pay....



Estimado Cliente / Dear Customer,

Adjuntamos informacion acerca de sanción de tráfico recibida durante su reciente alquiler. Por favor revise los documentos adjuntos, los cuales le darán toda la información que usted necesita.

***Por favor no conteste a este email ya que el buzón de correo no es revisado. Encontrará como contactar con nosotros en la carta que le enviamos.***

Please find attached a letter concerning a traffic fine you were issued during your rental period. It contains all the necessary information.

*** This is an automatic message, please do not reply to it directly. You can contact us using the email address provided on the mail. ***

Sinceramente / Yours Sincerely,

Departamento de multas / Citations Department
Enterprise Holdings


Vía A-397 P. Klm.: 7

 

[boonies]

I was in Dubai a few years ago and drove to Abu Dhabi. The highway is monitored by cameras the entire distance. If you speed...big tickets. I was driving my brothers car, so I was thinking that it might be fun to see how high I could run up the tab...but discretion is the better part of valor so I kept my foot in check.

 

[Stevehose]

I got a ticket for driving into Pisa during a no drive time of day or something. No signs anywhere to indicate such. Got a ticket in the mail 2 months later. Went in the trash.

 

[Thomas76]

I got a ticket for driving into Pisa during a no drive time of day or something. No signs anywhere to indicate such. Got a ticket in the mail 2 months later. Went in the trash.

I don't know what felon translates to in Italian but I wouldn't go back there.

 

[adawil2002]

Last Summer, we were caught by a Speed Camera going 46 in a 35 in Buffalo, Iowa. The funny part is the $65 violation was sent to my wife's attention, so my driving record is still squeaky clean!

 

[bluecoupe30!]

Well, this was a long time ago, 1979. I had driven Vancouver, B.C. to New York and shipped my Austin Healey 3000 Mark 3 over to Southhampton UK. Quickly became accustomed to driving on "the other side "of the motorway. No big deal. Speed limits were, however, a downer. I was on my way out to Bristol, and my companion noted a Jaguar Mk 2 Police vehicle parked on the side and just watching me speed past at 85 mph or so. I thought ..well I am on holiday, any fine should be rolled into the "experience". Jaguar never left the shoulder. Hmmm.
Later that day... I met up with a friend, owns a 100S, yes, a 100S. He looked at my car and asked where I had gotten my "Corps Diplomatique" badge. What? What he pointed to was the International Travel Badge of a Canadian car travelling in Europe. Says "CDN". I realized this was not too common and could, at that time, be misconstrued as a Diplomatic badge, consulars would attach to their vehicles. Was very helpful, as I later found I could park anywhere I wanted, and never received any notice of any infraction. Ah, the good old days.....

 

[deQuincey]

Guess I better pay....



Estimado Cliente / Dear Customer,

Adjuntamos informacion acerca de sanción de tráfico recibida durante su reciente alquiler. Por favor revise los documentos adjuntos, los cuales le darán toda la información que usted necesita.

***Por favor no conteste a este email ya que el buzón de correo no es revisado. Encontrará como contactar con nosotros en la carta que le enviamos.***

Please find attached a letter concerning a traffic fine you were issued during your rental period. It contains all the necessary information.

*** This is an automatic message, please do not reply to it directly. You can contact us using the email address provided on the mail. ***

Sinceramente / Yours Sincerely,

Departamento de multas / Citations Department
Enterprise Holdings


Vía A-397 P. Klm.: 7

oh, sadly you were in the most surveilled road in malaga

 

[Breiti]

I got a ticket for driving into Pisa during a no drive time of day or something. No signs anywhere to indicate such. Got a ticket in the mail 2 months later. Went in the trash.

Got that also twice in Firence and Bologna.
Believe me, there are signs.....

First I don't saw, second I ignore.
Bad idea.....

But they are installed 8 to 10 oot high installed.

If you will go back to Italy, you better pay that.

Breiti

 

[Arde]

Don't pay.
Just block your credit card authorization to the car rental agency, else they will charge it directly.
If you need to visit the country again buy a fake ID in LA. You are who you say you are.
Italy sent me tickets for 24 months after my trip, I paid the first and stoped paying subsequent ones. It is not about safety, it is fiscal voracity.

 

[deQuincey]

Just a comment on something peculiar but extending through europe

ZBE. Low emission areas

limiting traffic depending on type of car

this one for bilbao starts Monday, madrid, Barcelona,….others ara active months ago

be aware, cameras and signs


p.s. in bilbao historic vehicles will be allowed

 

[bavbob]

Visiting friends in Athens, apparently you can drive into the city only on even/odd days depending on if your plate ends in an even or odd number. I said this is quite dumb and what do you do to get around this. Friend said I have two cars, made sure one has an even plate and the other a plate ending in an odd number.

So far camera's and photo tickets are not legal in Ma, I am sure it is coming.

Sadly, we have inspection here and an overdue sticker is a moving violation. But the insurance companies don't have Beacon Hill politicians in their pockets. I add that the Ma inspection sticker is place on the PASSENGER side of the windshield so you never see it if you are the primary driver. Yes, this is so a trooper can see it, not you. Quite easy to overlook that it is overdue.

 

[CSteve]

I suspect any of us with unpaid tickets or taxes(ask me how I know about French Inheritence taxes) are on the "List" and a Gendarme or a Bobby or a KGB agent(Old name) will be waiting as we exit the jet port.

 

[Arde]

I suspect any of us with unpaid tickets or taxes(ask me how I know about French Inheritence taxes)

How do you know?
The French sold Louisiana for $15 Million. Did they ever pay capital gains taxes? I bet they cost basis was pretty low...

 

[otter74]

We spent two weeks in Spain two summers ago and despite paying attention (the speed cameras are very well marked and hard to miss), got a camera ticket. It was mailed to me some time later directly from the governing authority, rather than from the rental agency. I tried to pay the ticket - I really did - but I absolutely could *not* successfully go through the process. I don't remember what it was, but there was a specific step at which it failed every time. I even emailed to ask about it, to no effect. So I just gave up and ignored it.

I did pay the ticket I got in France (that came from the rental agency) and in Poland - that one was in my girlfriend's uncle's Clio, so he got the ticket and obviously I'm not going to stiff him!

The story about the CDN badge made me laugh. I have driven CD-plated vehicles (belonging to my sister and BIL) in southern Africa and at border crossings they're absolute magic. Drove from Malawi to Zambia and back last year and was prepared with everything that was needed (including the right currencies in the right amounts) at the border crossing and what was needed was...nothing. Skipped all that entirely, wrote our info down in the special CD book, and were on our way.

 

[Oldbmwcoupes]

I have an unprecedented luxury of titling/ owning cars in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. No inspection, no cameras and basically no cares. The absolute trash cars driving around and break neck speeds is appalling! That is the unfortunate flip side of that feedom.

 

[lip277]

I have received a few tickets over the years from driving in Europe. Some I could tell would happen (as I saw the camera flash or such) while some came as a surprise.
I rent through AVIS and this is how they do it.

Some time after I get home, I am notified by AVIS that XYZ agency has placed an inquiry on ABC car with plate !@#. Records indicate that I was the renter during that time and they will pass along my info to the agency for further action (if any is deemed by the agency). For this, AVIS charges $35. (Cancelled cards or not - the card AVIS has on file for the rental is already obligated to pay as per the rental agreement).

Then... some weeks after, I may (or may not) get a letter in the mail from Germany... Ireland... or whoever with details of what I did
With that letter is a method of payment to resolve the issue. I just pay it as I plan on traveling later and don't feel like being on the bad side of things in those countries.
That being said - there have been a couple of time AVIS said they passed my info on - but I never heard anything from anyone.

I just figure paying these things is the 'cost of admission'. I try to play by the rules, but sometimes it doesn't work out.

 

[eriknetherlands]

I just see it as an extra form of tax.
If they spend it to maintain nice flat paved roads without potholes, I'm ok with it.

 

[jmackro]

If they spend it to maintain nice flat paved roads without potholes, I'm ok with it.

The frequency and amount of tolls collected on European highways deserves discussion here as well. I remember growing up in the Northeast (US) 1960's and 1970's, when you had to stop and pay a dime or a quarter every few miles when driving on a highway. I encountered freeways when I moved to California in the mid-70's and thought I'd died and gone to heaven (of course, since then, California has discovered electronic toll collection).

But back to Europe - I just got back from France and Italy where the highways are reminiscent of 1960's, New Jersey with tolls every few km. And they aren't a dime or a quarter! The exorbitant tolls should be enough to pay for fixing the potholes without resorting to sneaky speeding tickets.

 

[Arde]

When facing the choice between Erik's paternalistic state putting to good use what they steal from you, and the neglected freedom of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, I choose none and wish to start my own state or even country. It will be around Lake Wobegon, where every child is above average. Who is in?

 

[eriknetherlands]

Not me, too much child myself.