It may take a lot of time and money to dispute a fine, especially if you are a foreigner. I did tons of research to help you solve your problem. Unfortunately, I have received a ticket 7 months after I visited there. If it ends on a public holiday or Sunday, it is delayed to the next business day. And today, enforcement of speed limits comes via electronic cameras (like the one in the photo below). The police may also have used a private postal agency. Everyone in this forum seems to be blaming the drivers for all these infractions. And before Darius piles the "you should have reported your merge to Hertz so they could alert the authorities", why would I do that when the Comune di Modena was the entity that placed merge signs for regular motorists? Thank you @Roberto da Firenze. 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. I doubt anyone in Italy cares much about what you are over, mostly because thieves breaking into cars are not Italian and flee out of Italy After a couple of successful thefts. You just have to hope that sum has been received and processed. There is no need to have a lawyer. The Italian agency that recovers unpaid toll credits is calledEssediEsse. I haven't used it, but the Waze smartphone app is popular in Italy and supposedly uses crowd-sourcing to mark the location of speed traps et al. But if your appeal is rejected, the Prefect will notify an order for the payment within 150 days. Thats not necessarily true. This process is known as contestation in the Italian Highway Code. depends on the type of violation. They are costly, time-consuming, and sometimes unfair. For a fine to be legit, it must have some requirements and characteristics. I'm a little worried about all of this. These areas, where only authorized local residents can drive, are intended to reduce congestion and pollution in urban areas. Trains dont go everywhere and neither do buses. When I returned to Bra in Piedmont last summer to teach at Slow Food U., part of the piazza where my usual hotel is located had been changed to ZTL. We've had several good conversations with locals. Wiki User . Most debtors do. I don't even remember being in that area. If you live in the US nothing happens if you dont pay. There is no statute of limitations for traffic tickets, and they don't expire. Infractions must not be made too far from each other. I'm guilty and can't prove my innocence? Heres what municipalities often ask to enter: If the municipality doesnt offer that service, simply send an email to it. Depending on the infraction, the notification can be immediate or deferred. Taste virtually and in person. Art. If you choose to use one side only, you must cross the other with an oblique line. Some people give up to the pressure and the empty threats, others dont. Every country has its own laws, and you must learn them before driving.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'italianviaggio_com-box-4','ezslot_39',669,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-italianviaggio_com-box-4-0'); Italy has very strict speed limits laws. The notification is not calculated from the day you receive the fine. Ive emailed them about how to make these changes stop and for me to pay the tickets and havent heard back. You will have to pay at least double theamount of each sanction. 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. There are many substantial defects for every type of infraction, but these are the most common ones: Also, you need to prove in front of the Judge the substantial defect. Next, click on opposizione a sanzione amministrativa and enter your details. In Aug., I guess I accidentally drove in a ZTL in Pisa. We got a parking violation (ticket on the window) in Alberobello on a Sunday. You are penalised for the offences by those who drove a car under your responsibility. 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. It even gave me the option to inform them that I have already paid (which I did). With some fines, it is better to appeal to the Prefect and others to the Judge. According to Italian law, the municipality and the offender have separate terms. ), 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. Europcar advised me to use the web link http://info.myfines.it to pay the fine and indicated on the ticket. You have to write almost the same information in the letter as the Prefect. It is a system to facilitate the cross-border exchange of information between each Member State. When you signed the contract, you agreed with its conditions. But if the offense is too serious, you may suffer additional charges. I'm an Italian-Dominican guy who loves to travel and explore the world. bankruptcy fraud if you decide not to pay it. 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. You still have a chance to get most of your fines canceled. But there is another known asTutor,which determines your average speed in a track. Each letter was from the local police authority in the two different cities where the violations occurred. Another option is to just pay for paid parking. When I went back to Bra to teach in the fall, I went to the local police station and they printed out the ticket for me. You do not need an attorney as long as the fine does not exceed 1,100. Continue with Recommended Cookies. You need to read your ticket carefully before making any decision. So, make sure to always check the picture before making any decision. But dont get confused; this is not the actual fine. It has not been sent registered post and there was no marking on the envelope to suggest it is sent registered post and no one has signed for it. Every municipality interpreted the terms in their own way. For instance, The need to save money "for huge utility fees" derives from the US habit of living as jugglers on credit cards debts . It's not the responsibility of the car rental agency to teach you. Some people say that you should pay the traffic fine, and others just ignore it. You have five days to plead guilty and pay with a 30% discount. My husband and I have traveled and driven all over the world without an issue; in countries with very strict rules and sketch situations with military and checkpoints. If you live in the US nothing happens if you dont pay. 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. Pay it. However, you risk getting into trouble if you dont make an effort to do so. May I ask you where did you find these data? If the ticket arrives after 360 days, dont assume it is expired. 202 CdS: Also, your ticket is enforceable after 60 days. They have 365 days to issue their tickets - you will have one year of total frustration after your fabulous Italian holiday. why do you blame Hertz, hilary.liang? From the end of September 2018 when the car rental company had informed the police it can be safely said that 360 day time limit has passed. Maybe I have just not in English!! Plus, you wont have to deal with Italian bureaucracy and complicate systems. For the same reason they do not tell US tourists about one way signs. My question is will we be able to rent our car as planned or will there be a problem getting it? I have recently used wire transfer to a bank account in Hong Kong and I could write some notes somewhere, but I don't remember how I did it. Write the license plate of the vehicle, date of infraction, and ticket number in the reference. Also, you need to attach a valid form of identification. Charges for driving over the speed limit in Italy (Art. If you want to learn more about parking rules in Italy, make sure to check out this post. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. link to Driving in Italy: Do Rental Cars Have GPS Navigation? For instance metered cabs and limo drivers can use bus lanes, if you follow them without paying attention to signs you'll be fined. Prohibit the circulation of your vehicle. It doesn't leave a good impression to say the least! The time frame contrasts depending on the state. 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, the municipality is not responsible for any postal delays. Almost all counties in Florida use collection agencies to collect unpaid money owed on citations. Don't ignore it. Same deal every time, I get a ticket in Italian (which I cant read/speak) and English, and I generally ignore it. link to 10 Surprising Reasons Why Driving in Italy Can Be Difficult. Better not to drive in unfamiliar urban territory. Is there a list of places with these zones so we can avoid them ? Im inclined to ignore it as well. If law enforcement fails to file a complaint against a driver within two years of a violation, the state cannot prosecute the driver after the statute of limitations period has ended. What the rental company says about it means zero. The hotelier will have to communicate to the police your license plate number in advance. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. A fine that can be appealed is "frozen" for 60 days and it can't have Practical effects on the offender. You can't make a right turn on a red light. Currently, he's returned to Italy, with the attitude that some things are great in Italy, and some things remain chaotic. 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. How Many Days Do You Have to Pay Italian Fines? The owners of the car, the rental company, must then respond within 60 days with the information on who was driving the car at that time. You can read all the rules inArt. We had a speeding ticket that was received 6 months laterso we had to pay the highest charge. So, people only go to the Prefect when the problem is clear or to contest a formal defect. Much appreciated for any advises. He takes a monthly photos of his utility meters, and whenever the HUGE utility bills do come, he's prepared. However, the municipality is not required to respond to you. Some jurisdictions may provide an amnesty for payment, but those are rare in these hard times. The dreaded ZTL and the evolution of the Italian traffic ticket. and I got 4 tickets each issues 8 minutes after the first. That is an unlikely circumstance even for Italian residents. Statute of limitations for criminal offenses. I heard of numerous instances when that happened to my traffic pirate colleagues. It seems impossible that I have committed any traffic offense in either of these locations. Nothing! Hoping to get the 30% reduced rate, but I'm sure I've passed the deadline at this point. He did a semester abroad starting in September of 2018. Less than 15% are issued to Florence residents. But if your appeal is rejected, the Judge will establish the amount you have to pay. Parking is one of the biggest issues that drivers have in Italy. Information requested from Commission under Rule 216(6). Still, here are the limits in normal situations:ClassificationSpeed LimitUrban Streets50 km/hSecondary Suburban Roads90 km/hMain Suburban Roads110 km/hHighways130 km/h. A foreign fine will never affect your driving record. Most of the time, tourists confuse it with a payment receipt. Then almost a year later (nearly at the 360 day limit) we (me) received another notice for a parking violation for not paying a parking meter. The statute of limitations traffic ticket laws are the same as the statute of limitation speeding ticket laws. Good luck.

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