Traffic Violation In Italy

[Kev Mc]

Around this time last year, Everton had a game in Florence & so a load of people went over to watch the match, plenty hiring cars/minibuses etc to get around. A lad on another forum has been done for a traffic violation which he had no idea about, here is some of what he said on the 8th Sep:

drive to florence...fine

locating hotel...nightmare, took 2 hours to find by circling the area 5 times

<cut>

now..after finally arriving home i thought, thank **** thats over..

..i was very wrong...

today i received 5 letters from the municipal police of florence.

i had incurred 5 traffic violations apparently when circling looking for the hotel...apparently, the main ****** road in the old town is only open to PSV's, police and locals...since my hire car wasnt local, i have been charged 95 euros for each ****** time i drove up that ***** road.

475 ****** euro's....the times off each 'offence' on the letters were, 14:32, 14:46, 15:05, 15:31 and 15:47....surely using an ounce of common sense, looking at this you would know that i was ******* LOST

Yesterday he posted this:

I ignored them and 5 more turned up today, I've got 60 days to appeal/pay before they issue a court order and demand the cash

Now, it sounds like the lad genuinely can't afford to pay this, what are his options? If he writes to them pointing out the times of the offences & explaining his circumstances do you think they might cancel 4 of them & class them all as the 1 incident? With him being abroad will they just give up after a while & let it go like the UK do with foreign lorry drivers etc?

I'm not on the blag here, sounds like he was genuinely lost & had no idea he was committing any offences, just need some advice please.

Ta all

[bothwell_buyer]

Seems like he attracted the attention of the local camera-watcher.... I've driven in Italy and the polis there pounce on any tourists... I reckon they tipped off; or the regy plate makes it clear that its a hire car/foreign car. I got pulled up for not having my lights on a main road during the day and not using my seatbelt. My seatbelt exemption certificate is not in Italian, and I don't speak Italian so you can imagine the fun I had describing the seatbelt exemption! Only when I produced my disabled blue Badge did they back off.

Had the guy hired a car, then the hire company would've billed him the fines. Cos its his own car, then I'd guess he's ok to ignore it, but I couldn't be sure.

My brother drives over from Paris every year and he ignores parking tickets and never gets chased.

How did the Italians manage to get the guys address I wonder? From the hotel?

On the demanding payment bit, would it not cost them a fortune to try to impose it? How do they know he was driving?

Normally I'd appeal, but would guess that it would have to be done in Italian.

[Kev Mc]

Sorry, seems I cut a bit too much out, he flew to Rome & hired a car from the airport which he used to drive to & around Florence. He did everything legitimately so it wouldn't be difficult to track him down

[Johndcfc]

Sorry, seems I cut a bit too much out, he flew to Rome & hired a car from the airport which he used to drive to & around Florence. He did everything legitimately so it wouldn't be difficult to track him down

If he got it from the Italian's directly I'd say ignore it but as its from the hire company they'll probably sell the fine to a debt collection company.....

[Parts-King]

Well it appears that foreign vehicles (up to 700,000) drive in bus lanes, and through the congestion charging area of London every year, and they are not persued. I think they are fishing for payment, he should take proper advice as there has been some harmonisation of European motoring law recently, so that fines and points can be issued in EU countries. Sometimes your house or car insurance will have a free legal phone line you can call, see if he has access to that or similar, use it or take proper advice. I doubt a debt collection agency would be employed

Kingo

[bothwell_buyer]

I'd follow it up if its an international care hire company + the hire company will have the credit card details.

Best to appeal to the authority who issued it cos they won't know it was a daft englishman. Better still, tell them he was Scottish or Irish as the French aint too hot on the english.

edit

AND ...OOOOPS

its Italy!

Well the Italians might just win the rugby against Scotland so use that as an entree (whats that in Italian?)

[Bizarra]

Well it appears that foreign vehicles (up to 700,000) drive in bus lanes, and through the congestion charging area of London every year, and they are not persued. I think they are fishing for payment, he should take proper advice as there has been some harmonisation of European motoring law recently, so that fines and points can be issued in EU countries. Sometimes your house or car insurance will have a free legal phone line you can call, see if he has access to that or similar, use it or take proper advice. I doubt a debt collection agency would be employed

Kingo

Our lot here are reputedly using Debt Collection Agencies to pursue N.I. & foreign drivers who ignore fines & barrier free tolling on the Motorways :(