Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Lee
I've always blown these off in the past because the tickets from Germany always arrived weeks after their due dates and with no way to know what kind of late fee they'd tack on or if they'd then consider it paid or unpaid if I just paid the original fine amount sans unspecified late fee. Furthermore, my bank charges a $40 foreign wire transaction fee, making these tickets pretty expensive. I never heard from the rental car companies about these, never had a problem renting on my next trip, have had plenty of police interactions on subsequent trips, and so I'm pretty sure these just fell through the cracks.
I just got one from Switzerland, directly from the police 60 days after the infraction. They got me for 61 km/h in a 50 zone, gave me 5 km/h forgiveness and so for a net of 6 km/h over, the fine is CHF 120 or $141 USD. This is insanely expensive. I remember the flash, I was coasting down a hill, not at all in a hurry and with no one around and in the middle nowhere.
I thought I read in an old thread here that Dottore said Switzerland is pretty militant about collecting on there, while other countries aren't. I may drive into Switzerland again someday (years from now), but am almost positive I'll never enter via an airport. I rented this last car in Frankfurt and wonder how long a ticket in Switzerland can take to go stale. Any idea? Cloggie?
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Pay it, just hold your nose and consider it part of the experience. I think if you know what canton the ticket came from they have an online portal you can use to pay with credit card. Let me know if I can help with that.
Broadly speaking, lately things have gotten more integrated, I used to blow off some tickets I got while driving a rental car, but then the rental car companies such as Sixt and Enterprise started pursuing me directly as the authorities are demanding their pound of flesh from them if they don't get it out of me.
They started by sending me a notice to pay with an exorbitant admin fees about which I *****ed as did others I am sure.
Then they just started charging it to my credit card, which I am sure others *****ed about as well, considering corporate credit cards and all.
Now they apparently just give my personal info - including passport apparently to the authorities who contact me directly....so they have my info, so I pay - but at least no admin fees.
I know there is a growing level of communication between the various traffic authorities and if you chose not to pay, you may find yourself subject to a warrant of arrest which means when you enter Europe the border guys will identify it.
I know our Marechaussee have zero sense of humour and if there is a Swiss warrant flagged on your passport, they will put you in holding if not turn you around and send you home.
The reverse is also true. Colleague of mine stacked up Canadian traffic and parking tickets for years, laughed them off. Then the Canadian authorities wized up and put out a warrant.....and he got stopped at a routine Check Stop, rental car impounded and he got to spend a night as a guest of the Arsey Empee.
He to pay them ALL off plus interest, plus an additional fine. He was out out a few thousand by the time it was all done.
I suspect that the rental car companies also spilled the beans on the driver.....
D.